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	Garda Orders Full Review of Dublin Diocese Abuse Report The Irish Times November 27, 2009 http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/1127/breaking69.htm The Garda Commissioner has ordered a full investigation into the handling by Church and State authorities of child sex abuse allegations folowing yesterday's report on the Archdiocese of Dublin. The Commission of Investigation report concluded that there is “no doubt” that clerical child sexual abuse was covered up by the archdiocese and other Church authorities. It also found that “the State authorities facilitated the cover-up by not fulfilling their responsibilities to ensure that the law was applied equally to all and allowing the Church institutions to be beyond the reach of the normal law enforcement processes”. Commissioner Fachtna Murphy said he had asked Assistant Commissioner John O’Mahoney to review the findings of the report in relation to how the complaints were handled, carry out investigations and inquiries as appropriate and present his recommendations. "I will then consult with the Director of Public Prosecutions as to what issues arise in the context of criminal liability,” Mr Murphy said. "The commission has identified failings on the part of both Church and State authorities in their response to complaints of child sexual abuse. The focus of this examination will be to establish whether those failings amounted to criminal behaviour." The report has been scrutinised by senior officers since it was received, Mr Murphy said. “Garda investigations can never be influenced by the profession or background of a suspect and must concentrate on dealing sensitively with victims, applying the best investigative methods and placing a case before the courts to secure a just outcome," he said. Responding yesterday to the report’s severe criticism of gardai, Mr Murphy said the report made for “difficult and disturbing reading”, in particular the failure of State authorities to protect victims. Among the main findings of the report were that all archbishops and many of the auxiliary bishops in Dublin handled child sexual abuse complaints badly. None of the four archbishops reported their knowledge of abuse to gardai “throughout the 1960s, 1970s or 1980s”. It also found senior members of the gardai regarded priests as outside their remit, with some members reporting complaints to the archdiocese instead of investigating them. It said there were some courageous priests who brought complaints to the attention of their superiors. But in general there was a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. The report concluded that it is the responsibility of the State to ensure that no similar institutional immunity was ever allowed to occur again. The Government said it apologised “without reservation or equivocation” for failures by State agencies in dealing with the issue of clerical child abuse in the Dublin archdiocese. The Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin said “no words of apology would ever be sufficient” and offered “to each and every survivor, my apology, my sorrow and my shame for what happened to them”. Catholic Primate Cardinal Sean Brady also said he was deeply ashamed and saddened by the findings.
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