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October 25, 2005
Ireland to report on Catholic Church abuse cover-up
DUBLIN -- The Irish government is due to publish the results on Tuesday of a state probe into claims the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland covered up the sexual abuse of young people by priests over several decades.
The 270-page report, which stems from an investigation begun in 2002, is expected to detail the Church's handling of more than 100 allegations of abuse against dozens of priests in the diocese of Ferns in County Wexford dating back to the mid-1960s.
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 and that its report was likely to be a "whitewash".
"The minister promised the Rolls Royce of tribunals but we got the get-away car," he said. "What we'll have confirmed today is that the politicians are still shafting us and the Church is still alive and kicking and dominating state politics."
The Catholic Communications Office declined to comment ahead of a report that the Department of Health said had been put to the cabinet in the morning. It is due to be published at a news conference provisionally scheduled for 1530 GMT (4:30 p.m. British time) but is unlikely to be made available on the Internet for legal reasons.
Deputy Prime Minister Mary Harney, the minister for health and children, received the report last week and immediately forwarded it to Ireland's chief law officer.
CHURCH TARNISHED
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 with a cocktail of drugs and alcohol in 1999 after he was charged with multiple sex offences.
Irish media said the report, which also examines other allegations of clerical molestation in the diocese, was expected to name at least six priests.
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.
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.
Posted by Nealus at October 25, 2005 08:40 AM
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