RTE News
January 3, 2009
http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0103/abuse.html
Cardinal Sean Brady has made his first public comments on the handling of child sex abuse allegations by the Diocese of Cloyne.
In a statement yesterday, Cardinal Brady acknowledged 'the extent to which people feel let down, angry and bewildered by recent events.' (Read the full statement )
He was responding to a report published last month by the Catholic Church's child protection body, the National Board for Safeguarding Children, which found that practices in the Cloyne diocese were 'inadequate and in some respects dangerous'.
The report found that church authorities in the Diocese of Cloyne broke their own rules on reporting allegations.
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| Cardinal Sean Brady Suggests Board might consider reviewing current practice in every Diocese |
A schoolgirl's allegation, as well as four similar allegations, was not reported by the diocese to the gardaí.
In his statement Cardinal Brady says the findings have 'brought further anxiety to victims of abuse'.
Cardinal Brady says the Board would seek a written commitment from church leaders that they would implement fully, existing statutory guidelines on the issue.
He also says that he had suggested that it might also consider reviewing current practice in every Diocese.
Cardinal Brady said the Board should prioritise the publication of its first annual report.
'This will provide the first public overview and assessment of the standard of implementation of statutory guidelines on reporting and on a one-Church policy throughout the Church in Ireland,' he said.
Victims' support organisation One in Four, which gives support to victims of sexual abuse, said it was remarkable that Cardinal Brady should have made no comment on the position of Bishop John Magee of Cloyne in his first statement on the controversy.
Meanwhile, Bishop Magee - in a response to the Cardinal's statement - said he would continue to cooperate fully with the Church appointed National Board for Safeguarding Children.
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