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	Bishop Leo O’reilly: Church Must Restore Its Image As Safe Place for All By Leo O'Reilly Irish Independent December 1, 2011 http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/bishop-leo-orsquoreilly-church-must-restore-its-image-as-safe-place-for-all-2950875.html [with video] YESTERDAY the diocese of Kilmore along with five others published the reviews of safeguarding practice in those dioceses. The reviews were undertaken by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church (NBSCCC) and are the first reviews to be completed by NBSCCC chief executive Ian Elliott and his staff in response to the request of the Irish Bishops' Conference. I am aware that the publication of these Reviews of Child Safeguarding may reopen painful wounds of those who have suffered abuse at the hands of priests and whose voices were not heard by church authorities when they complained. On behalf of all in authority in the church, I once again apologise to them and express my deep sadness that they experienced this betrayal by those who should have brought them Christ's love and compassion. The bishops' request to the NBSCCC was made in the wake of the November 2009 publication of the Murphy Report into abuse in the Archdiocese of Dublin. We were anxious to respond to concerns about the information deficit around the incidence of child abuse and the standard of child safeguarding practice in dioceses. We were very conscious also of the public anger at the failures of church leaders in their handling of allegations of abuse in the past. In a pastoral response from the bishops, published in March this year, Towards Healing and Renewal, we reiterated our commitment to transparency about the past and to raising awareness about the current safeguarding children practice in our dioceses. Honesty about the response to past, present and future allegations of child sexual abuse by priests is essential to restoring trust and moving forward on the journey of healing and renewal. This must be more than an aspiration. It must become a reality that is subject to independent regulation and verification. The publication of these reviews represents an important step towards delivering on that commitment to transparency. The reviews examine the management of allegations in the past, assess current risk and provide recommendations for the future. The issue here is accountability and the Catholic Church, like all other bodies, must be accountable if it is maintain its credibility in today's society. Over the past two decades, a great number of our people have been shocked and scandalised -- not only by the revelations of abuse by priests and religious, but even more by the way those allegations were dealt with by church leaders. Their confidence in the ability of the church to deal effectively with these issues has been shattered. I hope that the publication of these reports will begin the slow process of restoring trust in the church's procedures for safeguarding children and for dealing promptly and effectively with allegations of abuse against church personnel. In his overall comment on the reviews published yesterday, Mr Elliott stated: "Across all of the six dioceses that have participated to date, a marked improvement in two key areas of safeguarding practice is evident. Firstly, reporting allegations to the statutory authorities occurs promptly and comprehensively. Secondly, the need to create and maintain a safe environment for children in the church is comprehensively accepted and implemented." Close co-operation with the statutory authorities -- with the Garda Siochana and HSE in the South and the PSNI and the DHSS in the North -- are a given in the practice of safeguarding children today. We greatly appreciate the support and availability of the local officers of the HSE and the gardai, the DHSS and the PSNI for advice and assistance, particularly in relation to the management of allegations. The challenge for the future for those of us in leadership in the church is to make the church a place where the highest standards of child safeguarding practice prevail and where parents can be confident that their children are safe at all times. We must ensure that the standards and guidance that are contained in the church's safeguarding policies are matched by a solid commitment to the implementation of those policies on the ground. One of the features of the review of the diocese of Kilmore, as I am sure it was of the others, is its acknowledgement and commendation of the work and commitment of lay volunteers. These volunteers, many of whom are parents, are ideally suited to playing a role in the protection of children. In addition, they have undertaken many courses of training to acquire the knowledge and skills they need to act as parish safeguarding representatives, support persons, priest advisers and trainers. I, and my colleague bishops from the other dioceses, wish to heartily endorse that commendation and express our gratitude not only to them, but also to the members of our Diocesan Safeguarding Children Committees and Advisory Panels. Without this willing army of volunteers, the task of safeguarding children would simply be impossible. In the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council, there was much talk about a greater role for lay people in the church. No one would have predicted that, half a century on, the greatest mobilisation of lay involvement would be in the area of safeguarding children. Sometimes the Holy Spirit has to lead us by strange ways to recognise the signs of the times and act upon them. Jesus' love for children and his extraordinarily harsh condemnation of those who scandalise them are well known to us all. Caring for children and protecting them from harm are close to the centre of his concerns. They must always be close to the centre of our concerns, too.
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