Extending Murphy Commission’s Remit Wouldn’t Be Fruitful, Says Andrews, The Journal, December 24, 2010

Extending Murphy Commission’s Remit Wouldn’t Be Fruitful, Says Andrews

The Journal
December 24, 2010

http://www.thejournal.ie/extending-murphy-commissions-remit-wouldnt-be-fruitful-says-andrews-2010-12/

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MINISTER BARRY ANDREWS has said he does not think the remit of the Murphy Commission should be increased beyond the Diocese of Cloyne, saying it would take a lot of time without returning much benefit, the Irish Times reports.

Fine Gael TD Charlie Flanagan had called for the commission’s remit to be extended to all Catholic dioceses, Midlands 103 reports.

Speaking at the presentation of the commission’s report into clerical abuse in Cloyne, Andrews said:

I’m not convinced the length of time and the expense would teach us any more than we know already. Anyone that has committed an offence can be prosecuted in the normal way.

Any child exposed to risk will have to be protected by the HSE. I don’t think any further inquiry will teach us anything new after Cloyne.

The Commission of Investigation into the Catholic Diocese of Cloyne was headed by Judge Yvonne Murphy and submitted its report to the Minister of Justice yesterday, but that report is unlikely to be published for some time, according to the IT.

The most recent chapter of the report to be published concerned defrocked priest Tony Walsh, who was recently convicted and jailed on 17 counts of child abuse. Walsh is believed to have abused hundreds of children while working in Dublin as a priest, and the commission found that Church authorities were aware of complaints regarding his behaviour as far back as 1978.