Frances Fitzgerald TD, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, today acknowledged the publication of the seven reviews conducted by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church (NBSCCC) into safeguarding practices at both diocesan and Religious Congregation level.
The Minister noted the shocking nature of some of the findings, particularly in the context of the Religious Congregations, in terms of the scale of alleged sexual abuse, the application of standards and the management of allegations of abuse and the alleged offenders. The Minister said:
"The scale of past abuse recounted in these reviews is horrific, in particular as we know it took place, in many instances, in schools. But the extent of cover-up and the failures to safeguard children, whether by acts of commission or omission, is equally shocking.
In the case of the at least one order, we see that it continued up until as recently as last year to fail to report past admissions of abuse to Gardai. In another order, one accused priest still had limited ministry up until last year while another had a public profile, participating in an internet forum.
In effect we see child protection best practice being simply ignored, right up until 2011.
To think that such a culture and mindset continued to exist among sectors of our society until as recently as 12 months ago, is bitterly disappointing, it is deeply worrying and it is quite simply unacceptable."
She acknowledged the ongoing work being done by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church, and the willingness of the various bodies to engage with this review process and publish the results. The process is seen as an important element of the work which needs to be done in order to provide the necessary assurance to the public, and to the statutory authorities, that appropriate safeguarding and reporting measures are in place and operating well across the Catholic Church and the Religious Congregations.
Minister Fitzgerald intends to meet with Ian Elliott from the Safeguarding Board and Gordon Jeyes from the HSE, to discuss the findings of the reviews and the ongoing collaborative work between the two agencies in promoting improved safeguarding practices across the Church. She also intends to discuss the findings of the reviews of the congregations as they relate to the educational sector with her colleague the Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairi Quinn TD.
Among the concerns noted by the Minister in relation to the Religious Congregations are:
1. Missionaries of the Sacred Heart:
(i) the non-reporting of allegations to the appropriate statutory authorities, namely the HSE and An Garda Síochána, particularly where admissions were made by more than half of the alleged abusers, some of whom were serial abusers;
(ii) the withholding of vital information from the Gardai, such as admissions that abuses had been perpetrated;
(iii) matters being dealt with in a "covert" way, and the existence of a "wall of secrecy" which did not permit child protection information to be shared, either within or outside the organisation;
(iv) the guidance and policies agreed by the Church as a whole being ignored;
(v) the fact that some of the members within the community are alleged to have offended on several occasions against children.
The Minister notes that in the case of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart that a Garda investigation is nearing conclusion. The Minister welcomes the quick intervention by both the HSE and the Gardai and the co-operation with their work by the current Church authorities.
2. Irish Province of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit:
(i) files provide evidence that there were serial abusers working in school communities in Ireland;
(ii) the maintenance of men in ministry, despite allegations of abuse being made against them;
(iii) the movement of abusers out of the country or to other ministries, where they continued to abuse children;
(iv) the acknowledgement by the NBSCCC that abuse could have been prevented if the congregation had responded to information regarding risk to children and taken a more active role;
(v) the dissatisfaction among survivors of abuse with the response of the congregation to their disclosures of abuse;
(vi) the lack of awareness of the impact of child sexual abuse;
(vii) files indicate "misleading advice" around the likelihood of re-offending.
3. Irish Province of Dominican Friars
(i) non-reporting of allegations in some cases;
(ii) prior to 2010, long delays in reporting to the civil authorities, with pre-1996 allegations only being reported to the Gardai in 2009;
(iii) the difficulties experienced by the NBSCC in reviewing case files;
(iv) inaction by the order, when first notified of an allegation of abuse, placing other children at risk.
The publication of these reviews represents an important step in developing a national assessment of child protection practices across the Catholic Church. The reports published today shed further light on poor historic practices within the Catholic Church. The Minister notes the efforts that have been made to address poor practice, however in some cases this is a very recent development:
"While these reviews starkly highlight past failings, I do wish to acknowledge and welcome the progress and tangible improvements in child protection which have occurred in more recent years and in particular over the past year."
The Minister acknowledged the role of the National Safeguarding Board, led by its CEO, Mr. Ian Elliott, in reviewing the dioceses and congregations and in leading a new standards-led approach to child protection in the Church.
The work of the National Safeguarding Board, which will be reviewing each of 26 dioceses in Ireland and the religious orders, together with a national audit which is being conducted by the HSE, should provide a comprehensive national picture of how child protection is being promulgated and practiced by the Catholic Church. The Minister has just received the report of the HSE Audit of Catholic Church dioceses, and it is intended that this will be published shortly.
The Minister added: "Over the past year a close working relationship has been established between Mr. Elliott and Mr. Gordon Jeyes, National Director of the HSE Child & Family Service and CEO-designate of the new Child and Family Support Agency. This close engagement followed from my request for greater collaboration on foot of last year’s Cloyne Report. The purpose of this engagement is to ensure that the Church has in place the necessary structures and practices to safeguard children, and that it is operating in accordance with the provisions of the Children First National Guidance. I have asked Mr. Jeyes to ensure that the new Child and Family Support Agency continues to prioritise this ongoing engagement with the National Safeguarding Board, to work together to ensure that failings such as those recounted in these reviews remain in the past."
The Government announced a series of initiatives following the publication of the Cloyne Report. These include legislative provisions designed to better safeguard children, and the enactment of the Criminal Justice (Withholding Information) Bill. The Minister is working closely with the Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Alan Shatter, on progressing these measures, which are seen as a high priority for Government. Minister Fitzgerald said: "These reviews highlight yet again the ongoing need for vigilance and action to protect Ireland’s children. This is what I am doing: by bringing in new child protection laws which include including putting Children First on a statutory footing,by reforming our child protection services; and by bringing forward a child protection referendum."
The Minister concluded:
"I appreciate that publication of these reviews will likely serve as a very painful reminder to many victims of the abuse and cover-ups they suffered. No victim should suffer in silence. I would encourage anybody affected by past abuse, not just in the dioceses and orders subject to today’s review, who have not previously come forward, to know that they can still do so, in confidence and with an assurance that they will be treated with the sensitivity deserved."