Watchdog Warns Orders over Abuse

Belfast Telegraph
May 12, 2014

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/republic-of-ireland/watchdog-warns-orders-over-abuse-30266389.html

Some Catholic priests are still being allowed to continue ministry despite admissions of wrongdoing

A Catholic Church watchdog has hit out at some religious orders in Ireland for being slow to enforce child protection measures.

In the latest series of probes launched after numerous paedophile scandals, it was found that some priests evaded new protocols to continue ministry despite admitting to abusing children.

Teresa Devlin, chief executive of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, commended church dioceses for improving protection but warned about a lack of progress in orders.

"For the religious congregations and missionary societies, progress appears slower," she said.

"There has been a sea change in that all are now conscious of their obligations around reporting, (but) unfortunately in two cases we saw that priests continued in ministry even though admissions were made and in another order cases against deceased brothers, former brothers and lay teachers were not always notified to the Gardai."

The latest reviews focused on the Archdiocese of Dublin, the Dioceses of Meath, Cloyne and Killaloe as well as the religious congregations the Presentation Brothers, the Patrician Brothers, Benedictine, Glenstal and the Missionary Societies of the Columban Missionaries and the Society of Divine Word.

It found that two priests in the Society of Divine Word, which sends missionaries around the world, were allowed to continue in their ministry despite having admitted to child sexual abuse.

It is understood both men were in ministry in Ireland for a time after perpetrating the abuse before they were removed.

Fr Patrick Byrne, provincial of the order, admitted they were slow to implement child protection measures.

"We unreservedly apologise to all who were abused by members of our Society, and express our deep and sincere sorrow to all those who have been hurt by any member of our Society," he said.

"There are allegations against six members. Of the six, one is deceased, four are out of ministry, two members deny the allegations being made against them, and one priest has served a prison sentence.

"All allegations received have been passed to the Gardai and the Health Service Executive (HSE), who have and will continue to have our full cooperation."