A new national committee of the Church for the protection of childhood was announced by the Irish Church on 25 October, following the publication of the Report of Mr Justice Frank Murphy on the sexual abuse perpetrated on children by some priests in the diocese of Ferns. “No one who is a danger to children is permitted to minister in the Church”, declared the archbishop of Armagh and Primate of all Ireland Séan Brady in a statement, saying he was “deeply shocked and saddened” by what he had read in the report. “I apologise to all those people who have suffered lasting hurt at the hands of abusers in the Church he said -. As priests they should have been protecting and nurturing the talents of these young people. The betrayal of trust is horrendous. Today the Church is ashamed of its past failings regarding child protection”. Séan Brady expressed the hope that the publication of the report would be “an important step in helping all those who have suffered so terribly to heal the pain they have experienced and to get the strength to put this awful chapter of their lives behind them”. The Church he stressed stands ready to assist them in any way it can in bringing closure to their trauma and in helping them to rebuild their lives… Actions, as well as words, are now required to show our seriousness on this issue”. The first action will be the setting up of a new national committee of the Church for the protection of childhood.
