By Johnny Caldwell
BBC News [Ireland]
May 31, 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/6708115.stm
The man who is to oversee the Catholic Church's Irish child protection board says he will have no qualms about reporting any priest involved in suspected child sex abuse.
Ian Elliott, who headed the NSPCC in NI, says the "independent role" follows a career dedicated to child protection.
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The 60-year-old has been "impressed by the efforts" within the church to confront the well-documented problem.
"Obviously in an ideal world this role wouldn't be necessary," he said.
"What we're about is motivating ordinary people within the church to play a vital role with regards to child protection.
"It's not some small select group making policies to be implemented from behind closed doors."
Commenting on the reporting of clergy if suspected of child abuse, Mr Elliott, who is an active member of Ballywillan Presbyterian Church, Portrush, said he would readily do so no matter who was invoved.
"If there is the slightest suspicion a child is being abused or indeed has been abused at any time in the past, I of course will have no qualms about reporting the incident to the appropriate authorities," he continued.
"As I have already said this is all about helping the church move beyond apology.
"But perhaps most importantly I want to put across the message that child protection is everyone's business no matter what the organisation."
Last October, Pope Benedict XVI told Irish bishops that they had to deal with the problems caused by priests who sexually abuse children.
Bishop Colm O'Reilly, welcoming Mr Wilson's appointment said that "the church is extremely pleased to have secured a person of Ian's proven integrity, expertise and stature to head up this most important role at this moment in the church's history, north and south".
The issue of clerical abuse has been a long-running issue across the island of Ireland.
Most recently, the Catholic Church said nearly 150 priests and members of other religious orders have been accused or suspected of abuse since 1940 in the Dublin archdiocese.
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