IRELAND
Catholic World News
Dublin, Dec. 19 (CWNews.com) - The Irish Catholic bishops announced a new national policy to combat the sexual abuse of children at a news conference on December 19.
Archbishop Sean Brady of Armagh, who chaired the news conference, said that the Irish bishops' policy was based on the principle that "the welfare of the child is paramount." He announced that Mr. Justice Anthony Hederman, a former attorney general and Supreme Court judge, would chair a new national board to oversee the child-protection effort.
The board, Archbishop said, would be composed of "parents and professionals from child care, psychology, theology, law, academia, education, and business." Bishop Colm O'Reilly of Ardagh, speaking at the same event, said that the board would be responsible for compiling nationwide reports on child abuse by Church personnel.