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	Tuam Archdiocese Abuse Cases All Reported By Aine Ryan The Mayo News December 1, 2009 http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8271:tuam-archdiocese-abuse-cases-all-reported&catid=23&Itemid=46 All Church abuse cases reported Archbishop’s spokesperson confirms any allegations made in Tuam archdiocese are with relevant authorities ALL ALLEGATIONS of sexual abuse made against priests in the Archdiocese of Tuam have been reported to the relevant statutory authorities, a spokesman for the archbishop confirmed to The Mayo News yesterday (Monday). Father Fintan Monahan has confirmed there is no priest still serving in the diocese who has been the subject of such an allegation. Of the 377 priests who have served since 1940, there have been allegations made against 15, with some of these since deceased, he said. He also told The Mayo News that Archbishop Michael Neary – who expressed his shock and sadness in a sermon relayed throughout the diocese at Sunday Masses – would ‘welcome’ a national audit of all dioceses, if the State, which commissioned the investigation into the Archdiocese of Dublin, ‘deemed it necessary’. “The Archdiocese of Tuam has undertaken a lot of work in promoting the safeguarding of children. We work closely with the HSE, the gardai and the National Office for the Safeguarding of Children in the Catholic Church,” Father Monahan also said. Other priests contacted reiterated the views of Archbishop Neary and, moreover, expressed their strong criticism of the Vatican’s attitude to the scandal. Last week’s publication of the Dublin Archdiocese Commission of Investigation by Judge Yvonne Murphy has dominated the airwaves, and sent ripples of deep shock throughout the country, notwithstanding the fact that it follows two comparable reports on similar abuse, known as the Ryan and Ferns reports. “My main response is that it is quite shocking that these allegations were mishandled and the institutions were protected at all costs. That was the policy. I also find it shocking that the Murphy Commission was refused documentation by the Papal Nuncio and Vatican. After all this was a commission set up by our State,” said Mayo News columnist, Father Kevin Hegarty. “Like the Ferns and the Ryan reports, I welcome all independent reports revealing the grim truth bit by bit,” Father Hegarty, a priest attached to the Diocese of Killala, added. Meanwhile, Father Pat O’Brien, a longtime priest with the Archdiocese of Tuam, has also called for a national audit to be extended to all dioceses. “I think there should be a national audit of all institutions, not just those run by the church. Wherever there is a rumour or even a suspicion of inappropriate conduct – whether that’s at a swimming club or a school – there should be rigorous investigations,” said Father Pat O’Brien, who is now Parish Priest of Caherlistrane. Archbishop’s sermon ARCHBISHOP Michael Neary has said the Murphy report was both ‘sad and shocking’ reading and that he was committed to promoting ‘the safest possible environment for children in the church’. In his sermon, he observed:“The sadness and shock are all too familiar to those of us who have had to deal with similar problems in our own dioceses. So many lives have been devastated, so much suffering of the innocent, so much harm inflicted.” “Everyone is deeply disgusted and disillusioned by the awfulness of the abuse, the vulnerability of the victims and the betrayal of the sacred trust placed in those who carried out this abuse. With our priests, I share these strong sentiments,” he continued. Noting that the ‘report gives voice to the stories of the victims of abuse’, Archbishop Neary stressed there is ‘an onus on us now never to forget this suffering and these stories’. He conceded that the failure of the Church to act on abuse allegations, consequently contributed hugely to the suffering of the victims. “We can respond to these revelations in either of two ways. We can, in anger, allow ourselves to be overcome by despair. We can opt for a world where sin and selfishness have the final say, where there is no such thing as faith, reconciliation or hope,” the Archbishop’s statement continued. Or, he noted: “On the other hand, we can work and pray together so as to ensure that the child safeguarding structures, already in place across the country, will greatly help to prevent such evil deeds from ever recurring in a Church environment.” Archbishop Neary said he was cognisant of ‘the perceived hollowness of repeated apologies’ but still wished ‘to apologise again, humbly and without reservation, to all who have suffered and to their families’. “I hope that this report may provide victims with a sense that their story is believed and that they will be enabled to put the broken pieces of their lives together and be helped to move forward.” Archbishop Neary also again stressed the diocese’s commitment to implementing best practice in terms of safeguarding children who are in the pastoral care of the Church.
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