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	Shocking Litany of Abuse Is Revealed By Clodagh Sheehy Herald November 26, 2009 http://www.herald.ie/national-news/city-news/shocking-litany-of-abuse-is-revealed-1954098.html The 700-page report on child sex-abuse by Catholic priests in the Dublin Archdiocese has been launched. Sex-abuse victims are being offered counselling services and a helpline by the HSE to help them cope with the revelations. A statement said the authority had "planned a co-ordinated response so all survivors of abuse have access to a counselling service that best helps them". The report documents abuse under four successive Archbishops: John Charles McQuaid, Dermot Ryan, Kevin McNamara and Desmond Connell. Censored in parts to avoid prejudice in ongoing or potential criminal cases, it deals with complaints or suspicions relating to 172 named priests and 11 unnamed priests in the Dublin diocese between 1975 and 2004. Examined Up to 450 people have made abuse allegations against former priests in the diocese since 1940. The Commission of Inquiry examined a sample of complaints against 46 priests. It also looked at the handling of allegations by 19 clerics in the Catholic hierarchy, including the four archbishops who failed to report abuse over four decades. One priest abused children every two weeks for 25 years and another admitted abusing more than 100 children. The report shows that the welfare of children was sacrificed to preserve the reputation of the Catholic Church and its position in society. The report states that some devoutly Catholic gardai also made inappropriate contact with senior clerics in the Archdiocese, instead of dealing with the complaints through the proper channels. The report also documents extraordinary delays by successive governments in introducing child-protection laws. The report is the second scandal to rock the Church in Ireland this year, after the Ryan report laid bare the physically and psychologically abusive regimes operated by religious orders in church- and State-run institutions. The helpdesk can be contacted by calling freephone 1800 670 700 between 8am and 2am. Contact: hnews@herald.ie
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