10 Convictions from Abuse Allegations against 90 Priests, Says Watchdog

Breaking News
May 4, 2016

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/10-convictions-from-abuse-allegations-against-90-priests-says-watchdog-733649.html

[the full report]

The National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church has said there have been 10 criminal convictions from 288 allegations against 90 priests.

The allegations relate to the period between 1950 and 2002, with one additional incident in 2013.

The board said in two orders - Salvatorians and the Blessed Sacrament Fathers - they have seen little evidence that new standards have been properly implemented.

In the case of Father A from the Salvatorian order, he was allowed to continue contact with children for at least two years after 2002 when a relative told his order he had abused her.

The priest later admitted to abusing more than 100 children in Ireland. A relative accused him in 2002 of having abused her as a child, and he began a course of treatment in 2004. he was convicted in 2007.

Speaking on RTE's News at One, CEO of the National Board for Safeguarding Children Teresa Devlin said: "It seems as if the priest was allowed to go around his business with impunity, without restrictions" in spite of the fact it was known in 2002 that he was abusing children.

She described the case as as "horrific" and "shocking".