The Cathnews
July 18, 2011
http://www.cathnewsindia.com/2011/07/18/ireland-considering-country-wide-abuse-investigation/
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Ireland's Children's Minister has said that the government may order an examination into how the Catholic Church dealt with sexual abuse allegations in dioceses across the country, in the wake of the Cloyne Report released last week, reports the Irish Independent.
"We don't want to be carrying out unnecessary investigations, but we have to protect the children," Mrs Fitzgerald told the newspaper on Sunday.
"You cannot say that what was happening in Cloyne is definitely not happening in other dioceses," she added.
Separately, The Guardian reports that Northern Ireland's first police ombudsman and one of its most prominent Catholics has called for an island-wide independent investigation into clerical child abuse.
Lady O'Loan told Radio Ulster Sunday morning that children's safety came before the cost of any such investigation.
"I think what we need is an independent investigation system which would operate across the island of Ireland which would be funded by the bishops. It would be expensive but it would not be nearly as expensive as having children being abused."
Her demand carries weight as O'Loan is a devout Catholic and a leading lay figure in the church in Northern Ireland, the report stated.
The Archbishop of Cloyne, Dr Dermot Clifford, issued a written apology on Sunday to all victims of abuse which was read out at masses across the diocese, The Guardian adds.
His letter tells the people of Cloyne that they are entitled to expect that all abuse complaints will be handled according to official church guidelines and he is truly sorry that this has not always been the case.
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