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	Call for Inquiry into Clerical Abuse Kilkenny People December 1, 2009 http://www.kilkennypeople.ie/news/Call-for-inquiry-into-clerical.5873600.jp A LEADING advocate of abuse victims in Kilkenny has called for an independent inquiry to be set up to investigate the extent of clerical child sex abuse in the Diocese of Ossory. Manager of the Kilkenny Rape Crisis Centre, Catherine Twomey has called for an immediate investigation into the extent of abuse in the Diocese of Ossory in the wake of the findings of the Report of the Commission of Investigation into the sexual abus e of children by priests in the Archdiocese of Dublin, which was published last weekend. "We have to move forward and come clean. The findings in this report are having a huge effect on people's spirituality and even more so considering that there is a retired bishop from the Diocese quoted in the report. "Through the years I have dealt with many victims of clerical abuse. This report has opened up wounds for people who have been abused. The level of collusion between the different authorities is hugely disappointing. We know that there was clerical child abuse in the diocese and people need to know the full extent of that. This report has highlighted that children were not heard and even when parents went and spoke to certain bishops that what they said fell on deaf ears and some of them were even ostracised from their community for reporting the abuse. "For people to move on we need to have a full inquiry into what went on in the our Diosece. I attended Mass in a church in Kilkenny on Sunday and I was waiting for a letter to be read out on behalf of the Bishop or for some sort of apology but there was no reference made to the report. I was really shocked as I felt that an opportunity existed for the clerfy to say something to the commuinty," added Ms Twomey. The call for an independent inquiry comes in the aftermath of the Murphy report which contained revelations involving Bishop Laurence Forristal who served as an Auxiliary Bishop in Dublin from 1980 to 1981 before he was appointed as the Bishop of Ossory in 1981. He retired as bishop in 2007. The report states that the retired Bishop Forristal was the only bishop to unequivocally admit in evidence to the commission that he may not have handled matters satisfactorily. In 2005 Bishop Forristal defrocked a paedophile priest from North Kilkenny and was the subject of the largest single child abuse investigation in the history of the State. At the time the diocese disclosed that it is not supporting the convicted child abuser financially and has made settlements with the shamed cleric's victims.The man was found guilty on a number of counts of sexual abuse and served six years of a nine year sentence. Diocesan spokesman Fr Dan Carroll told the Kilkenny People that the former parish priest was stripped of all ecclesiastic status. Another priest with a foreign conviction for child sex abuse worked in the diocese until 1996 when he was asked to step aside. Over ten people have brought civil claims against the diocese for alleged child sexual abuse and allegations were made against at least five priests. All of the priests stepped aside from their clerical work following the allegations and the diocese informed both the gardai and other relevant authorities. Bishop of Ossory, Bishop Séamus Freeman has apologised to all victims of clerical sex abuse."I personally want all who have suffered in any way from the effects of this tragic abuse of trust and subsequent cover-up. "I also want to assure the people of the Diocese of Ossory that our Diocesan Safeguarding Children Policy is fully compliant with the current Statutory and Church Guidelines and we welcome the on-going monitoring of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church. "It is with great shame and deep shock that I have come to know the extent of this tragic abuse, and I pledge every effort possible and necessary to avoid any such tragedy in the future," added the bishop.
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