Pressure Mounts to Stop Removal of Church Watchdog

By Garry O’Sullivan
Irish Catholic
September 20, 2012

http://www.irishcatholic.ie/content/pressure-mounts-stop-removal-church-watchdog

There is growing pressure from influential political and Church figures to stall an attempt by the Irish bishops and religious congregations to let Ian Elliott step down next summer this newspaper can reveal. Mr Elliott is CEO of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church (NBSCCC) whose shareholders and funders are the bishops’ conference, the Conference of Religious in Ireland (Cori) and the Irish Missionary Union (IMU).

Earlier this month questions were raised about the continuation of Mr Elliot’s contract beyond next summer – Mr Elliot reaches retirement age – but the Chairman of the Board John Morgan refused to say whether it would be renewed or not.

However The Irish Catholic has learned that there has been pressure brought to bear on the Board by some at shareholder level to ensure that Mr Elliot would step down as CEO next summer and his contract would not be renewed. This paper has also learned that there is a growing political consensus North and South that Mr Elliot should continue in the job and this view has been communicated informally to the Board.

Adding her voice to this consensus, Baroness Nuala O’Loan writing in this newspaper asks why Mr Elliot’s age is cited as a reason to seek his retirement when bishops and many who hold high office in Ireland are much older than him, and concludes that his age is immaterial given his record. She writes: “The question must be asked: Why is Mr Elliott’s contract not going to be renewed to enable him to finish the audit of the dioceses and religious congregations?

Church sources have revealed to The Irish Catholic that the results of some of the audits published in early September were a lot worse than had been anticipated. The source also said that there was little stomach politically for a government-funded audit of the Church and that Mr Elliot is seen as the best man for the job.