Key Findings of the Reviews
This can be divided into two parts – a) findings from the full reviews which were assessed against the 7 standards and b) the shorter reviews of female religious where there is limited or no ministry with children and no allegations of sexual abuse in Ireland.
In relation to a) – findings from full reviews – the following themes emerged:
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There have been 285 allegations made against 98 priests, brothers or sisters.
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There have been 8 criminal convictions.
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Allegations relate to the period 1940 – 1998 with the largest number of incidents recorded between 1950 and 1990’s.
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Variable delays in reporting allegations to the civil authorities up until 2009 (introduction of Safeguarding Children: Standards and Guidance Document for the Catholic Church in Ireland) for most orders and congregations, however for some practice did not improve until 2013.
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Poor record management in many cases making an assessment of practice difficult.
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Opportunities to safeguard children were missed, known abusers allowed to remain in ministry in 1990’s.
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Management plans relating to accused priests and brothers and sisters have improved significantly over time, though there is still room for improvement, in terms of clarity of roles, review of restrictions and sharing of information.
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Support for complainants is good in many cases. Good evidence of pastoral support, outreach and direct contact between the provincial and the survivor.
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Adherence to other aspects of the 7 standards was less well developed in many congregations. Many have limited ministry with children in Ireland today therefore the applicability of all criteria was limited. Recommendations for improvement where relevant have been made.
|
Order/Congregation |
Numbers of Priests/Brothers |
Numbers of allegations, suspicions and concerns (sexual, physical and emotional) |
Numbers convicted |
|
Augustinians |
11 |
33 |
0 |
|
Passionists |
20 |
42 |
0 |
|
Franciscan Friars |
28 |
109 |
3 |
|
Franciscan Brothers |
14 |
56 |
3 |
|
Servites |
6 |
8 |
2 |
|
Discalced Carmelites |
6 |
11 |
0 |
|
Sacred Heart Fathers (SSCCs) |
3 |
5 |
0 |
|
Marist Fathers |
7 |
18 |
0 |
|
Dominican Sisters |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
Total |
98 |
285 |
8 |
In terms of b) – small scale reviews – the following issues emerged:
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Very aging profile and limited ministry through their congregation with children.
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Sisters who minister outside the congregation follow the policy and procedures of the diocese/service.
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Strong sense of commitment to working positively with the NBSCCCI, in spite of their limited ministries.
Conclusion
In terms of the large reviews, the NBSCCCI is disappointed that for the majority of orders, the whole area of safeguarding is only being embraced in the last couple of years. Two orders have demonstrated good compliance with the standards and have demonstrated their commitment to putting in place good safeguards for children as well as prompt responses to allegations of abuse. For the other 7 congregations, there is considerable work to be done. A series of recommendations have been made within each report and there is an expectation that these will be developed into plans of action. NBSCCCI will request an update on progress of implementation of recommendations in 9 months.
Finally it is important that complainants come forward if there are still unreported allegations of abuse. NBSCCCI encourages reporting to the diocese/religious order and to the civil authorities.
NBSCCCI also would encourage anyone who has suffered abuse to contact Towards Healing, counselling and support service for survivors of clerical and religious congregations abuse, which is totally independent although funded by the Catholic Church.
Contact details are:
Towards Healing – Click to visit the website : www.towardshealing.ie
Free phone 1800303416 (Republic of Ireland) Free phone 0800 0963315 (Northern Ireland)