NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph
Alf McCreary
18 March 2006
The Catholic Church has taken a deserved battering over its handling of child abuse cases in recent years, but now it has shown a welcome initiative in handing over to the DHSSPS and the PSNI a dossier of allegations against priests This is a part of its drive to follow the best practice on child protection.
It will receive little enough credit for doing so, from victims and those who have been appalled by the previous ghastly practice of shuffling abusing clergy to other parishes where they continued to prey on vulnerable children. The latest measures announced by the Primate Archbishop Sean Brady will help to ensure that the sins of the Fathers (and Sisters) are much less likely to occur again.
Paedophiles are as ingenious as they are persistent in trying to satisfy their perverted appetites, and individuals may still evade all child protection measures which are put in their way. Nevertheless, there can be no doubting the determination of the Catholic Church to try to get it right, at last.
As Archbishop Brady said: "We want everyone in the Church to know what actions to take if they have concerns about the safety of a child. We want these actions to be effective, and we want to work in full co-operation with the DHSSPS, the PSNI and other agencies."