Call for Abuse Probe As Un Slams Vatican

Irish Mirror
February 6, 2014

http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/politics/call-abuse-probe-un-report-3118636

Amnesty International's Patrick Corrigan has called for an inquiry

Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness have come under fresh pressure to set up a clerical abuse inquiry after a scathing UN report was released.

It accused the Vatican of systematically turning a blind eye to decades of sexual assaults on youngsters by priests and demanded the Holy See hands over known or suspected offenders.

The report by the UN Committee On The Rights Of The Child said Catholic officials imposed a “code of silence” on clerics and moved abusers between parishes “in a bid to cover up crimes”.

It said the Vatican must release an archive of evidence about attacks of tens of thousands of kids and take measures to prevent a repeat of scandals such as the Magdalene Laundries, where girls had to work in Church-run institutions.

The study has sparked a renewed appeal for the First Ministers to set up a clerical abuse investigation in Northern Ireland. Hundreds of victims have been left out of the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry which is examining sexual, physical and emotional assaults suffered by children in homes here between 1922 and 1995.

Amnesty International’s Patrick Corrigan called on the Stormont leaders to establish a probe in the wake of the report.

He said: “It ought to be unimaginable Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness would ignore UN recommendations – yet that appears to be what’s happening.”

Victims’ campaigner Michael Connelly, who was abused by a Co Fermanagh priest, revealed survivors may be forced to take their struggle to Europe.

He said: “What a damning indiction on Stormont if victims have to leave the jurisdiction to find justice.”

The Vatican called the report “distorted and unfair” and said it had failed to consider measures it has introduced in the past decade to protect children.