www.cpo.ie is the internet address of the new website that the Child Protection Office of the Irish Bishops’ Conference has created to provide information and assistance to those who work with minors in the parishes. Welcoming the launch of the website in recent days, the Primate of Ireland, Monsignor Séan Brady, declared that “the CPO testifies to the Church’s commitment in the field of the protection of children and adolescents in the parishes. The material contained on the site will provide great help to all those, religious and laity, who are involved in the service to youth”. According to Paul Bailey, director of the CPO, “the site was specifically created with two beneficiaries in mind: those responsible for the protection of children within the Church and the victims of abuses. Various sections are present on the site: an interactive map of the 32 Irish counties and their respective dioceses that enables the local delegate of the CPO to be contacted, explanations on how to draw up a denunciation of abuse, a section with the most frequent questions on the matter, a zone dedicated to the relevant publications of the Bishops’ Conference and another for press releases. There is also a search engine that provides detailed information on youth organizations, volunteer service and the laws that regulate the protection of minors”.
