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Irish Archbishops colluded over child abuse
Friday, 27 November 2009
Irish Justice Minister Dermot Ahern makes a statement in Dublin yesterday regarding the cover up of child abuse within the Catholic church
enlargeThe Catholic church in Ireland yesterday offered abject apologies following a report which exposed in harrowing detail how its most senior figures had covered up thousands of cases of child abuse by priests.
The report revealed that four consecutive Archbishops of Dublin had effectively colluded for more than a quarter of a century in ensuring that the activities of paedophile priests did not reach the public gaze.
It is the latest in a series of hugely damaging reports on the church and children, all of which have concluded that it routinely placed its own image before the protection of the vulnerable. The conclusion of this report, produced by a Commission of Investigation after years of research, could hardly have been more damning.
It said: "The Dublin Archdiocese's preoccupations in dealing with cases of child sexual abuse were the maintenance of secrecy, the avoidance of scandal, the protection of the reputation of the church, and the preservation of its assets."
It further said the Archdiocese "did its best to avoid any application of the law of the state". In many cases, reports of abuse were not followed up by police, it said, finding that senior police often regarded priests as being outside their remit.
The authors of the report, including a judge and two lawyers, examined a sample of complaints concerning 46 priests. Concluding that these had abused more than 320 children, they added that it was abundantly clear that child sexual abuse by clerics was widespread. They wrote: "One priest admitted to sexually abusing over 100 children, while another accepted that he had abused on a fortnightly basis during his ministry which lasted for over 25 years."
In his apology for what he called "the revolting story" set out in the report, Diarmuid Martin, the present Archbishop of Dublin, said it highlighted "devastating failings of the past". He added that the sexual abuse of a child was a crime in both civil law and canon law.
The report pointed out that, in turning a blind eye to the crimes of priests, the Archbishops had been in breach not just of the law of the land but also of canon law. Several of the Archbishops were qualified canon and civil lawyers. In one case an abusive priest was not reported to the police by an Archbishop despite having abused several young people while acting as a chaplain in a children's hospital. In many cases, abusing priests were simply moved to different parishes.
The Irish police force yesterday said it was "deeply sorry" that victims had not received the level of response and protection they were entitled to.
The Irish government also issued an apology, promising to pursue clerical child abusers. It said the report "shows clearly that a systemic, calculated perversion of power and trust was visited on helpless and innocent children in the Archdiocese".
It added: "The perpetrators must continue to be brought to justice, and the people of Ireland must know that this can never happen again.
The authors, having examined tens of thousands of files from the Archdiocese, dismissed church claims that senior clerics were unaware of the scale of the problem. They said it was highly significant that in 1987 the church had taken out an insurance policy to help cover future legal costs involved in defending compensation claims by victims.
They concluded: "The taking out of insurance was an act proving knowledge of child sexual abuse as a potential major cost to the Archdiocese."
One of the Archbishops, Desmond Connell, took a legal case to prevent investigators having access to more than 5,000 files kept in a private vault. He dropped the case under pressure from Archbishop Martin. It was revealed that the Connell files included complaints against at least 29 priests.
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Comments
60 Comments
What's not being said is the church accepted thousands of men with pedophilia, who became priests ONLY to continue their aberration, knowing the church would protect them in order to preserve the sanctity of the calling and their immense political clout.
Posted by Laurie | 18.03.10, 16:59 GMT
Ulysses32, your silence is deafening. We await your wisdom, and excuses. No doubt Kincora will be compared to this planet wide outrage.
Posted by William | 01.12.09, 01:14 GMT
Strange to see "Sean from County Down" & "Ulysses32" not making comments on this subject. Is it only all things Protestant/Unionist/Loyalist that you have a narrow mindedness opinion about. Maybe there is something underlying in this story that are still having trouble dealing with, a little too close to home i ponder...........................
Posted by Lest we forget | 30.11.09, 07:44 GMT
Anon- I think the word you are looking for is "succour".
But I do take your point, although I am not sure I agree with your interpretation.
Posted by Dave, East Belfast | 28.11.09, 16:57 GMT
time to leave the catholic church it through its actions is no longer graced with god, a church which systematicly hides abuse of children is not religious
Posted by liam | 28.11.09, 07:31 GMT
The church will always be above the Government, probably because it's richer.
As soon as religious people actually take a step back and seriously assess their beliefs in talking snakes and virgin mothers - then we'll be getting somewhere.
Until then, kids, get used to it - because religion is here to stay.
Posted by P Wilson | 28.11.09, 03:12 GMT
It is so typical to see the guilty parties in these gross crimes being protectec by the powers that be. I am amazed that although Canon law is not fully recognised by this state that the politicians and the courts would protect these hideous monsters from being named and shamed and why does the catholic church not take responsibility for putting these paedophiles and barbarians in such a sacrosanct position. I also noticed recently that the Minister for justice (injusticed) wrote off all the complaints from the women who worked in the Magdalen laundries, he claimed these establishments were not state run. My question to this is, IS IT BECAUSE THE COMPLAINANTS WERE WOMEN AND NOT MEN or does it really make no difference because after all "POWER CORRUPTS, ABSOLUTE POWER CORRUPTS ABSOLUTELY"
Posted by Anne | 28.11.09, 01:43 GMT
bless me father for i have sinned! well thats a cracker its the way i tell em!
Posted by barry | 28.11.09, 01:08 GMT
well maybe ian paisley wasnt that far wrong.
Posted by margaret | 28.11.09, 01:05 GMT
sorry, i have to respond to barry and his coments (these type of people) barry mate these people were orfants abandoned by they parents in times of trouble who could not cope! entrusted to the church and their god. and you talk about these type of people-- get a grip you moron.
Posted by michael donaldson | 28.11.09, 01:01 GMT
this just gets better by the minute, i know read that they took out an insurance policy to cover legal costs. well i certanly think the insurance company should look at fraud under non-disclosure of material facts before they pay out .isuggest fraud .
Posted by michael | 28.11.09, 00:55 GMT
this vile organisation ,what a digrace and to think of the tens of thousands of good people who put their trust in them. and christ crucified for us only to be raped by those evil people who represented him. this is worse than hitler. the antichrist is and has been amonsg us for many years.his face is shining bright for all to see and i am not religous but this has shaken me to stone. no forgifiness ever they took the most vulnerable and inocent this world has to offer and destroyed them. cannot and will not forgive.
Posted by michael | 28.11.09, 00:22 GMT
Barry
A bit like the Stormont regime up to 1972 and the Unionist people of "Ulster" you'll no doubt agree.
Posted by Fair Play | 27.11.09, 23:45 GMT
The time has come for Christians to step down from their arrogant position that they have a supreme book and they are righteous.
God has never been proven
Faith means "the absence of fact"
The bible has no basies of truth
The religious feel they are righteous but they have no evidence that they are.
WAKE UP. There is no God, no evidence for a God and you have no right to proclaim that you have a right.
Arrogance = Religion = I AM RIGHT
Posted by Seb Gerkle | 27.11.09, 23:12 GMT
I had the misfortune of going to a Christian Brothers school as a child in Ireland and saw first hand the cruelty and sadism of some of the so called teachers.
When i tried to tell my parents about it the answer was "You must have deserved it" No one could believe men of God would be so vile so it was just put down to youthful exaggeration. Thank God the truth is finally coming out.
One good thing to come out of my Catholic upbringing is that it taught me to be very suspicious of the Catholic church and its hierarchy, a suspicion that I'm sorry to say has been proven well founded.
Maybe now people will wake up and force change on this outdated self serving excuse for a religion.
Posted by gerard | 27.11.09, 22:53 GMT
It is time to call time on the Catholic church! Infiltrated by people whose sole intentions were to have access to young boys! 98% of the victims of abuse were boys! There are good priests out there but alas they have not come public in condeming these vile predators in their company. It seems the Catholic church has been the victim of a Satanic cult!! The police should close all these churches and check out who is living in the parish house after all when there is abuse in nurserys they are closed!
Posted by Maggie Long | 27.11.09, 22:39 GMT
All the people of Ireland must know who commit the abuse crimes in entire Ireland as well as all that covered up these crimes.All violaters must have their day in court. Then the law suits for full damages at the same rate as paid in the USA. The media must fully keep the public informed.
Posted by phl | 27.11.09, 22:32 GMT
Sounds like they were hoping against hope that the problem would go away.
Posted by david wayne osedach | 27.11.09, 22:21 GMT
I'm a protestant who was watching the news and I could'nt stop crying, To me this is the biggest sin against god, to hurt and make children suffer. by those who are suppose to look after children nourish them and protect them....You are all in my thoughts.
Posted by sandra | 27.11.09, 21:02 GMT
Some years ago Sixty Minutes did a piece on corporal punishment in Irish schools. A young boy was badly beaten by a Christian Brother. When the family went to the local Priest to complain. He denounced them from the pulpit. Their neighbours ostracised them. They had to move to England. So do not blame the faimilys. Maybe neighbours need to be kinder to each other.
Posted by sheilah | 27.11.09, 20:51 GMT
60 Comments