IRELAND
The Corkman
By Anne Ryan
A PILOT scheme, introduced by the Cloyne diocese, will see four accredited child protection officers operating in the diocese within the month.
In the wake of the Ferns scandal, the urgent need for new child protection measures is evident and it is hoped that the pilot scheme introduced in Cloyne will be replicated in every diocese in Ireland.
Allegations to date have been made against eleven priests in Cloyne but so far there have not been any prosecutions. A spokesperson for the diocese said that all of these cases had been duly investigated. However, some of these allegations were withdrawn because the priest had died or because the victim had decided to end the prosecution process.