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	Victims Praise New Northern Ireland Church Abuse Probe Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests December 17, 2010 http://www.snapnetwork.org/snap_statements/2010_statements/121710_victims_praise_new_northern_ireland_church_abuse_probe.htm Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 862 7688 home, 314 503 0003 cell, SNAPdorris@gmail.com) We're thrilled by this news and are confident the investigation will lead to more healing and less isolation for hundreds of deeply wounded individuals, many of whom are no doubt still suffering in shame and self-blame. This probe is long overdue. The very least that secular authorities can do, in any country, is look into and document the horrific crimes and cover ups perpetrated by Catholic figures in virtually every diocese. We are grateful that the investigation will also consider abuse in Protestant institutions as well. Finally, we hope that victims, witnesses and whistleblowers in Northern Ireland will find the strength and courage to cooperate with governmental authorities so that the report will be as thorough and beneficial as possible. Northern Ireland government to probe child abuse cover-ups The Associated Press - Thursday, December 16, 2010; 1:56 PM DUBLIN -- Northern Ireland's government says it will investigate decades of cover-ups of child abuse in boarding schools and other institutions run by the Catholic Church, Protestant denominations and the state. The move mirrors a similar investigation in the Republic of Ireland, where two state-ordered probes in 2009 documented how tens of thousands of children in Catholic Church-run residential schools suffered sexual, physical and mental abuse from the 1940s to 1990s. First Minister Peter Robinson says the probe by Northern Ireland government agencies will identify the scale of past abuse and recommend counseling and other support for victims still alive today. He said Thursday that the task force would report conclusions by July.
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