Irish probe finds abuse cover-up in Catholic Church

Irish probe finds abuse cover-up in Catholic Church
Tue Oct 25, 2005 6:30 PM BST
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By Paul Hoskins and Kevin Smith

DUBLIN (Reuters) - The Roman Catholic Church in Ireland covered up the sexual abuse of young people by priests over several decades in one diocese, a state probe has concluded.

The 270-page report, which stems from an investigation begun in 2002, was published on Tuesday and details the Church's handling of 100 allegations of abuse against 21 priests in the diocese of Ferns in County Wexford dating back to the mid-1960s.

"It is clear from the report that effective action was not taken to protect vulnerable children over a period many years," Minister for Children Brian Lenihan said in a statement.

"On behalf of the government I want to condemn in the strongest possible terms the repeated failure and gross dereliction of duties of those in positions of trust in the Dioceses of Ferns," the minister added.

The probe found that for 20 years a bishop in charge of the rural diocese in Ireland's south east penalised priests against whom abuse allegations were made by transferring them to a different post or different diocese for a time. Priests were then returned former posts.

The Ferns Inquiry report criticised the bishop's decision to ordain "clearly unsuitable men into the priesthood" when he knew or ought to have known that they might abuse children.

Restoring trust in a Catholic Church seriously tarnished by a string of sex abuse scandals around the world is one of the biggest tasks facing Pope Benedict XVI after his appointment in April as leader its 1.1 billion members.

In the United States, where bishops moved priests known to have abused minors to new parishes rather than defrocking them, some dioceses have been forced to file for bankruptcy protection against the lawsuits of victims seeking compensation.

CHURCH TARNISHED

The findings are likely to reignite public anger in mostly Catholic Ireland after a string of clerical sex abuse scandals.

John Kelly, founder of the Survivors of Child Abuse support group, said the inquiry set up by former Minister for Health and Children Micheal Martin had not been given enough teeth.

"The minister promised the Rolls Royce of tribunals but we got the get-away car," he said.

The inquiry was set up following the resignation in 2002 of the Bishop of Ferns, Brendan Comiskey, when it emerged he had been aware of the activities of an abusive priest in the diocese, south of Dublin, but failed to protect the victims.

The priest, Father Sean Fortune, committed suicide in 1999 after he was charged with multiple sex offences.

The report said of the 11 accused priests who are still alive, three have been excluded by the priesthood by the Holy See and seven of the remaining eight have stood aside temporarily from active service. The eighth is retired.

The once all-powerful Catholic Church in Ireland, already in decline as the country gained confidence from an unprecedented economic boom, has been severely damaged by abuse revelations.

Three years ago, it agreed to pay 128 million euros (86.7 million pounds) in compensation to people abused in children's homes run by religious orders. Later that year, it also emerged the Dublin diocese faced hundreds of abuse-related legal actions.

Printer Friendly | Email Article | RSS

By Paul Hoskins and Kevin Smith

DUBLIN (Reuters) - The Roman Catholic Church in Ireland covered up the sexual abuse of young people by priests over several decades in one diocese, a state probe has concluded.

The 270-page report, which stems from an investigation begun in 2002, was published on Tuesday and details the Church's handling of 100 allegations of abuse against 21 priests in the diocese of Ferns in County Wexford dating back to the mid-1960s.

"It is clear from the report that effective action was not taken to protect vulnerable children over a period many years," Minister for Children Brian Lenihan said in a statement.

"On behalf of the government I want to condemn in the strongest possible terms the repeated failure and gross dereliction of duties of those in positions of trust in the Dioceses of Ferns," the minister added.

The probe found that for 20 years a bishop in charge of the rural diocese in Ireland's south east penalised priests against whom abuse allegations were made by transferring them to a different post or different diocese for a time. Priests were then returned former posts.

The Ferns Inquiry report criticised the bishop's decision to ordain "clearly unsuitable men into the priesthood" when he knew or ought to have known that they might abuse children.

Restoring trust in a Catholic Church seriously tarnished by a string of sex abuse scandals around the world is one of the biggest tasks facing Pope Benedict XVI after his appointment in April as leader its 1.1 billion members.

In the United States, where bishops moved priests known to have abused minors to new parishes rather than defrocking them, some dioceses have been forced to file for bankruptcy protection against the lawsuits of victims seeking compensation.

CHURCH TARNISHED

The findings are likely to reignite public anger in mostly Catholic Ireland after a string of clerical sex abuse scandals.

John Kelly, founder of the Survivors of Child Abuse support group, said the inquiry set up by former Minister for Health and Children Micheal Martin had not been given enough teeth.

"The minister promised the Rolls Royce of tribunals but we got the get-away car," he said.

The inquiry was set up following the resignation in 2002 of the Bishop of Ferns, Brendan Comiskey, when it emerged he had been aware of the activities of an abusive priest in the diocese, south of Dublin, but failed to protect the victims.

The priest, Father Sean Fortune, committed suicide in 1999 after he was charged with multiple sex offences.

The report said of the 11 accused priests who are still alive, three have been excluded by the priesthood by the Holy See and seven of the remaining eight have stood aside temporarily from active service. The eighth is retired.

The once all-powerful Catholic Church in Ireland, already in decline as the country gained confidence from an unprecedented economic boom, has been severely damaged by abuse revelations.

Three years ago, it agreed to pay 128 million euros (86.7 million pounds) in compensation to people abused in children's homes run by religious orders. Later that year, it also emerged the Dublin diocese faced hundreds of abuse-related legal actions.