Cardinal Sean Brady 'Truly Sorry' for Child Abuse

By Paul Melia
The Belfast Telegraph
December 10, 2013

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/cardinal-sean-brady-truly-sorry-for-child-abuse-29825949.html

Cardinal Sean Brady said he is 'truly sorry' for abuse suffered by children in the Catholic Church

Cardinal Seán Brady, Archbishop of Armagh, has said he is ‘truly sorry’ for the abuse suffered by children in the Catholic Church.

The Fourth Tranche of the Reviews of Safeguarding practice across the Catholic Church brings the total authorities reviewed to date to 27.

“In the majority of cases the progress that has been made has been heartening,” said Teresa Devlin, Acting CEO of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland (NBSCCCI).

“However, this was not universally the case and we have undertaken to work closely with those that have not met the required standards to ensure that children are properly safeguarded.”

She went on to outline how the completion of 27 audit reports meant that a significant portion of the work to be done had now been completed.

“Our next tranche will see that last of the Dioceses being reviewed,”  said Devlin. “And, we will also be dealing with the larger religious Congregations and Missionary Orders during 2014. Thereafter, many of those organisations still to be audited will be small in terms of membership and may have limited involvement with children – so we are expecting such audits to be quite rapid.”

His apology comes as the church watchdog has strongly criticised a lower standard of concern for clerical abuse victims on the missions abroad.

In its review of the Kiltegan Fathers, in the latest tranche of audits published this morning, the NBSCCCI said the identification of abuse of a child on the missions “did not always evoke an empathic response to the experiences of victims.”

Mr Brady has said he accepts the report “in its entirety”  and he undertakes to “act promptly” on its recommendations.

“I know that for you, survivors of abuse and your families, days such as today are especially difficult. You have suffered terribly and I am truly sorry. I pray for you and will work to ensure that you are supported on your journey towards healing and peace.”