Catholic Orders Are “improving” in Reporting Abuse Allegations

The Journal
October 23, 2014

http://www.thejournal.ie/abuse-allegations-reporting-catholic-orders-1741574-Oct2014/

CATHOLIC ORDERS ARE getting better at reporting child abuse allegations.

That is according to the latest child welfare reports from the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church.

The reports cover five male and 18 female female religious congregations.

The reports show that between variable times in the 70s and 2009, there were 121 allegations of abuse against 54 members of the orders. Of these, two brothers from the Missionaries of Africa were convicted. The complaints came from children in Ireland and abroad.

However, despite the improvement, the board’s CEO Teresa Devlin says the responses to complaints are “inconsistent”.

“However, support for complainants continues to be inconsistent. Contact in many instances was not made directly by the congregation and the opportunity for pastoral support was missed. This however is an improving picture and the reviewers highlighted instances of compassionate meaningful responses to survivors.”

Devlin called on people who may have been abused but have not reported it to come forward.

“The publication of these safeguarding reviews may evoke memories, it is important that complainants come forward if there are still unreported allegations of abuse.

“So, please do come forward and report them to the civil authorities and to the Diocese or Religious Order.”