Irish Pickles day

Irish Examiner

August 11, 2011

Bishop of Raphoe: Newspaper story on abuse report 'not in public interest'

The Bishop of Raphoe has dismissed a newspaper article about the contents of a report into allegations of clerical child sex abuse in a Co Donegal diocese.

The article, in the Irish Independent, claims that hundreds of children were abused in Raphoe by around 20 priests over a 40-year period.

Bishop Philip Boyce said the report was "inaccurate and misleading and not in the public interest".

The audit in Raphoe for the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church is expected to be published later this month.

According to the article, there were "hundreds of victims who were abused again and again" and "the church actively prevented investigations by the civil authorities".

Bishop Boyce has said that all allegations of abuse made known to the Diocese of Raphoe were reported to the Gardaí and the Health Service Executive.

He said he had given the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church his full co-operation.

He added that once he received the report, he would publish it, probably next month.

July 18, 2011

Archbishop Martin accuses fellow bishops of cover-up of more damning reports

Dublin church leader claims three more sex abuse reports yet to be published

The Archbishop of Dublin has accused fellow bishops of ‘hiding’ further details of clerical sexual abuse in three reports yet to be published.

Speaking in the wake of the scandalous Cloyne Report, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin claimed some of his fellow bishops are deliberately withholding more damning reports from the public.

In a reference to three such unpublished reports from Irish dioceses, Bishop Martin said: “There is no point having documents that were not published.”

He added: “If the bishop feels he is being treated unjustly, publish it and then say this is unjust. But hiding isn’t helping.”

Speaking to mass goers at Dublin’s Pro-Cathedral on Sunday, the Archbishop admitted that great damage has been done to the credibility of his church in Ireland by the poor handling of child abuse allegations in the Cork diocese of Cloyne.

He also said he was ‘angered’ at the lack of response by Church authorities to children whose lives were ruptured by abuse.

“Irish religious culture has radically changed and has changed irreversibly. There will be no true renewal in the Church until that fact is recognized. The Church cannot continue to be present in society as it was in the past,” said Archbishop Martin.

“Those in Church and State who have acted wrongly or inadequately should assume responsibility.

“What is at stake here is not just the past, but the future of our children and our young people and the need to foster a healthy environment across the board in which our upcoming generations are cherished and can grow to maturity.”