IRELAND
Gorey Echo
STEPS HAVE been taken by Bishop Eamonn Walsh to overcome most, if not all, the factors militating against an appropriate response to any allegations or suspicions of abuse, according to the Murphy Report.
It says that he extended and improved the Diocesan filing system, which had been updated under the direction of his predecessor, Bishop Comiskey.
He promulgated norms of conduct to govern the relationship between priests (of the Diocese) and children; he also encouraged clergy and faithful to notify the church authorities in the event of any departure from those norms or of any case of child sexual abuse whether current or historical.
He also, the Report goes on, informed the priests (of the diocese) as to the seriousness of the problem and the actions that would have to be taken.