IRELAND
Boston Globe
By Paul Hoskins and Kevin Smith, Reuters | October 26, 2005
DUBLIN -- The Roman Catholic Church in Ireland covered up the sexual abuse of young people by priests over several decades in one diocese, a state probe has concluded.
The 270-page report, which stems from an investigation begun in 2002, was published yesterday. It details the Church's handling of 100 allegations of abuse against 21 priests in the diocese of Ferns in County Wexford dating to the mid-1960s.
Among the allegations are accusations of rape.
''The revelations make for very uncomfortable reading. The pages retelling the pain experienced by those who have suffered, are especially heartbreaking," the head of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland, Sean Brady, said in a statement.
''I apologize to all those people who have suffered lasting hurt at the hands of abusers in the Church. . . . The betrayal of trust is horrendous. Today the Church is ashamed of its past failings regarding child protection," he added.