An open wound

Ireland’s Ministry of Justice posted on its webiste (www.justice.ie) the government Report on cases of abuse on minors in the archdiocese of Dublin in the period 1975-2004. The Report investigated how Catholic Church hierarchy and state authorities’ handled allegations of child abuse against 46 priests made by 320 children. The report found Dublin Archdiocese’s “pre-occupations in dealing with cases of child sexual abuse, at least until the mid 1990s, were the maintenance of secrecy, the avoidance of scandal and the protection of the reputation of the Church in the alleged charges of child abuse”. The situation started to improve in 1996 although counsel services for those filing abuse complaints were implemented only after the establishment of the 2003 “Child Protection Service” in the archdiocese. Upon the disclosure of the news contained in the Report, the Irish Church conveyed its sorrow, shame and apologies with press conferences, notes and public declarations. The Report. The Commission in charge of drawing up the Report said it is “satisfied that all complaints of clerical child sexual abuse made to the Archdiocese and other Church authorities are now reported to the police”. The Commission is concerned that those structures and procedures are heavily dependent on the commitment and effectiveness of two people – the Archbishop and the Director of the Child Protection Service, states the Report. The Report mentions by name only sexual abuse offenders who are already dead or were incriminated, while those awaiting trial are given pseudonyms. Over the past months the Irish Church did its utmost to mend the psychological and material harm suffered by the victims of abuse signalled in the Ryan Report issued past May. The Irish bishops received the victims during their annual meeting past October. The “Christian Brothers” religious order, held responsible for most of the abuse cases reported in the Ryan report, announced a 34 million euro subsidy and the allocation of 127 million euro worth property to help the victims and “recover the trust of all those who in Ireland feel they have been betrayed by the order”. “No words of apology will ever be sufficient”. As Archbishop of Dublin, and as Diarmuid Martin, I offer “to each and every survivor, my apology, my sorrow and my shame for what happened to them”. With a statement that acknowledges the Church’s past and present failures Msgr. Diarmund Martin commented on the publication of the Commission of Investigation in the sexual abuse of children by priests in the Archdiocese of Dublin during a press conference held in the diocesan library of Dublin. “It is difficult to find words to describe how I feel today”, said the archbishop, who thanked Judge Yvonne Murphy and her team “for their diligent and professional work in producing this Report which I expect will provide an invaluable framework for how we can better protect the children of today and the future”. “The Report of the Commission gives us some insight into the crimes that took place. But no report can give an indication of the suffering and trauma endured by the children, and indeed the suffering also of their family members”, said Msgr. Martin, who urged the survivors who have not yet been able to speak and for whom the publication of the Report will be traumatic, to “turn to some trusted friend, to a counsellor or counselling service of their choice, to the police or if they so wish to the Diocesan Child Protection Service”.“Shock, horror, disgust”. were expressed by Bishop Philip Boyce, from the diocese of Raphoe, by bishop Noel Treanor, from Down and Connor, by the bishop of Limerick Donal Murray and by archbishop Michael Neary from Tuam who conveyed their apologies to the victims of abuse acknowledging at the same time that apologies will not mend the suffering. “I want to apologies to people of this Country for the fact that the abuse was covered up by the Church and that the reputation of the Church was sometimes placed above the safety and wellbeing of children”, declared Cardinal Sean Brady, Primate of Ireland, who said underlined, “the children’s welfare is now a priority for the Church, that is part and parcel of her policy”. “Such policy is also based on the full cooperation with State authorities”. Speaking of the abuses committed in his diocese of Limerick, bishop Murray said: “”At no time did I, as an auxiliary bishop of Dublin, receive an allegation of sexual abuse and fail to act”. “I never deliberately or knowingly sought to cover up or withhold information brought to my attention”. “There were, as the report notes, occasions when roles/responsibilities were not clear or where I did not have full information concerning cases in which I was asked to become involved”, he declared.