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	Bishops Seek Cover-up Forgiveness Fingal Independent December 10, 2009 http://www.fingal-independent.ie/breaking-news/national-news/bishops-seek-coverup-forgiveness-1969387.html Irish Catholic bishops have asked for forgiveness over the Church cover-up of paedophile priests. Formally apologising over abuse and mishandling of allegations in the Dublin Archdiocese, the clergymen said they would open talks with child welfare inspectors to audit Church protection policy. In a statement from the Irish Bishops' Conference, senior clerics accepted the damning findings of the Murphy inquiry. "The avoidance of scandal, the preservation of the reputations of individuals and of the Church, took precedence over the safety and welfare of children," the bishops said. "This should never have happened and must never be allowed to happen again. We humbly ask for forgiveness." Bishops will ask the independent National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church (NBSCC) to explore how policy and practice to safeguard children can be assessed. Government departments and authorities in the Republic and Northern Ireland will also be consulted. The Murphy report detailed allegations against a sample 46 priests who served in Dublin between 1975 to 2004 and found several bishops, including Bishop of Limerick Donal Murray who acted inexcusably in one case, mishandled complaints against priests. He is expected to tender his resignation to Pope Benedict in the next few days. Cardinal Sean Brady and Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin will meet the Pontiff in Rome on Friday. Bishops met at the winter meeting of the Irish Bishops' Conference in Maynooth, Co Kildare where normal business was suspended, the Church said. "We, as bishops, apologise to all those who were abused by priests as children, their families and to all people who feel rightly outraged and let down by the failure of moral leadership and accountability that emerges from the report," the clerics said. "We are deeply shocked by the scale and depravity of abuse as described in the report. We are shamed by the extent to which child sexual abuse was covered up in the Archdiocese of Dublin and recognise that this indicates a culture that was widespread in the Church."
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