Reviews reveal Irish Church on right road to renewal

“I think we have got to be encouraged, what these reviews prove is the Church in Ireland’s dedication to complete transparency and accountability when it comes to the issues of allegations of clerical child sex abuse..we have seen a huge leap forward in this and full credit goes to the bishops and their diocesan teams who are implementing the standards for safeguarding children in the Church”, says Ian Elliot, chief executive of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church.

On Wednesday, the Board published reviews of how allegations of clerical child sex abuse were handled in six of the Ireland’s 26 dioceses. Theses reports are part of a nationwide review of child protection polices in all Catholic institutions in Ireland, North and South of the border. They involved the dioceses of Derry, Dromore (Down), Kilmore (Cavan), Ardagh Clonmacnoise (Longford, Leitrim, Offaly) as well as Tuam Archdiocese.

Elliot points out that while some dioceses come in for criticism for their handling of abuse allegations in the past, the reviews conclude that “lessons have been learned” and that at present most dioceses have implemented child protection guidelines and taken a pro-active approach to dealing with accusations. “We must give credit where credit is due”, he says, “but the Board is an independent body and therefore, where we find that bad practise has occurred we also highlight that, we must be totally honest, totally credible”.

The review into the Archdiocese of Tuam – for example - praises Archbishop Michael Neary for his “steadily serious approach” to clerical sex abuse allegations and for “taking appropriate action under existing guidelines, and rapidly assimilating the lesson of the necessity for the removal of the priest, where there is a credible allegation, pending investigation.”

However, among the other diocese reviewed, Raphoe in Co Donegal, is criticised for "significant errors of judgment" made by successive past bishops in responding to accusations. In a statement published accompanying the review, the current Bishop of Raphoe, Philip Boyce, admitted there had been "very poor judgments and mistakes made” and that allegations “should have been dealt with immediately in the appropriate manner". Bishop Boyce concludes “Insufficient emphasis was placed on the needs of victims, often in the misguided attempt to protect the reputation of the Church. There were frequent cases of delays or non-reporting of allegations and complaints about child sexual abuse. We are truly sorry for the terrible deeds that have been inflicted on so many by a small minority of priests. We offer our humble apologies once more and seek their forgiveness for the dreadful harm that has been done to them, their families and friends”.

The diocese of Kilmore instead is praised for having learned from past experience and described as a "model of best practice" in child protection and its current practice of being of "a consistently high standard".

The Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois, is also commended for its commitment to the review process. In a statement, Bishop O'Reilly expressed his sorrow at how victims had been made to suffer and welcomed any contact which any person feeling distressed at this time.

The audit of the diocese of Derry notes that that “past mistakes and oversights were readily acknowledged” and that the diocese now has “very clear procedures” for the management of allegations against priests in the diocese.

The review into the handling of clerical child sex abuse allegations in the Diocese of Dromore said that while all accusations were reported to statutory authorities, in some cases this "should have been done more promptly".

Elliott says he hoped his investigators could examine the child-protection policies of all dioceses, religious orders and other Catholic institutions in Ireland within the next two years. Listen to Emer McCarthy's interview with Ian Elliot