Abuse Reports have Misled Irish People: Archbishop
November 15, 2011: Priests in Ireland have been subjected to unjustifiable wrongs
as people have been misled about the level of sexual and physical abuse committed
by them, said Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin. In his homily at a Mass in
the Pro-Cathedral at the weekend, he said people had been “misled about the extent
of abuse by priests”. Dr Martin, speaking at Mass to celebrate the lives of the
nine priests who had died in the diocese this year, said he had been thinking about
the changes in the country over their careers. “I was reflecting that the two eldest
of these priests, Dan Breen and Noel Madden, were both ordained in 1955,” he said.
“I was reflecting on the change that they would have experienced over those years.
Priests in Dublin face new challenges as numbers decrease and the workload grows and
the general cultural climate changes. “Priests in Dublin have faced really difficult
times in the past years. With all of you, I am saddened and horrified to see the results
of a recent survey which showed how misled people have been about the extent of abuse
by priests. Some of those questioned for the survey imagined that over 20 per cent
of priests had abused,” he said.