Full Cloyne Report to Be Published, Irish Times, December 19, 2011

Full Cloyne Report to Be Published

Irish Times
December 19, 2011

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/1219/breaking3.html

Former Bishop of Cloyne John Magee. Photograph: Daragh Mc Sweeney/Provision

The planned publication later today of redacted parts of the Cloyne report has been described as "insensitive to put it at its mildest."

The Dublin Rape Crisis Network has said in a statement that "victims calling the national 24-hour helpline are angry and upset at the timing of this publication, as Christmas is an emotive time for them anyway."

Last Friday the High Court cleared the way for publication of the remainder of the Cloyne report, parts of which were redacted when the main body of the report was published on July 13th last.

Later on Friday it was decided by the Minister for Justice Alan Shatter to withhold publication of the redacted parts of the report until today to allow counselling services prepare for a probable upsurge in calls.

The redacted sections of the Cloyne report concern a priest given the pseudonym 'Fr Ronat' who had been facing court proceedings, now completed. Allegations against him and how these were handled by church and State authorities make up Chapter 9 of the Cloyne report. At 42 pages it is the longest chapter in the report.

This morning Dublin Rape Crisis Centre chief executive Ellen O'Malley-Dunlop said they would "always welcome the publication of reports into allegations of child sex abuse so that the victims/survivors can get justice. It is important that we as a society can learn from the terrible ignorance and atrocities of the past so that these atrocities will not be repeated in the future."

She continued: "However, to have this report published Christmas week is insensitive to put it at its mildest. Victims calling the National 24-hour helpline are angry and upset at the timing of this publication, as Christmas is an emotive time for them anyway."

She hoped "that the publication of Chapter 9 in full, will give those survivors of clerical sexual abuse validation, and that they know that their stories are truly believed, and that the cover up that was endemic in the Cloyne diocese has now been exposed in its entirety."

Any person who needs support following publication of Chapter 9 should call either the HSE National Counselling Service Helpdesk 1 800 234 116 or the Rape Crisis Centre National 24 hour helpline 1 800 77 8888.