merrion street

Children and Youth Affairs Minister Frances Fitzgerald today acknowledged the publication of the seven reviews conducted by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church 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.

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.

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 Justice Minister Alan Shatter on progressing these measures which are seen as a high priority for Government.

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.