Victims Hit out at Church Abuse Inquiry, UTV, June 6, 2011

Victims Hit out at Church Abuse Inquiry

UTV
June 6, 2011

http://www.u.tv/News/Victims-hit-out-at-church-abuse-inquiry/5bc6b771-3279-49e8-b2f3-95aaba0c087e

Members of an NI survivors group have expressed their disappointment after a party of senior Catholic churchmen from the Vatican completed a series of meetings across Ireland, in the wake of the sex abuse scandal.

The trip to Ireland, known as an "apostolic visitation, was announced by Pope Benedict last year, following the publication of reports into abuse in Catholic institutions.

Led by retired archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the six visitors held meetings in the archdioceses of Armagh, Cashel, Dublin and Tuam, aimed at helping the victims of abuse and ensuring it doesn't happen again

They met a group of clerical abuse survivors from Northern Ireland in January.

Margaret McGuckin, who was abused at the Nazareth Sisters orphanage in Belfast, said survivors are "sorely disappointed by the lack of any outcomes" following the meeting.

In a statement released on Monday, the Catholic Church said the Visitation proved "very useful, thanks to the cooperation of everyone who took part in this initiative."

Visitators set out to examine "the effectiveness of the present processes used in responding to cases of abuse" and "the current forms of assistance provided to the victims".

They say no further Visitations are necessary, but "visits in loco to some religious communities will follow".

The statement added: "The Visitators have been able to arrive at a sufficiently complete picture of the situation of the Irish Church with respect to the areas under investigation."

The Vatican will publish an overall report in 2012 to include the Visitation results.

"That means nothing and offers nothing to the Victims of Child Abuse on both sides of the border," Ms McGuckin said, on behalf of the Survivors and Victims of Institutional Abuse in Northern Ireland.

"Sadly, it seems clear that the Catholic Church is institutionally incapable of responding to the child abuse crisis, that is why Victims in Northern Ireland now look to the Northern Ireland Executive to establish an Independent Public inquiry into child abuse in both Church and State run institutions."