IRELAND
Irish Examiner
Thursday, May 05, 2016
By Claire O’Sullivan
Irish Examiner Reporter
A senior priest, who later admitted to abusing 100 children, was allowed unfettered access to minors for two years in the 2000s despite allegations against him.
The revelation emerged in the latest and last batch of reports published by the NBSCCCI (National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland) as part of its audit of child protection in dioceses and religious orders.
The NBSCCCI report noted that “the seniority of Fr A seemed to impede clear thinking by the congregational leadership” and, as a result, the allegations were not believed. Clear church guidelines on how to deal with sexual abuse allegations had been put in place in 1996.
The report revealed that Father A, a Salvatorian or member of the Society of the Divine Saviour, would befriend the family of girls aged 6 to 9 and abuse the children in their home. He served as a priest in Dublin, the UK, Rome and Australia from the time of his ordination in the 1950s until his death seven years ago.
“Fr. A is still esteemed by some members of his congregation for his work and personal piety, and they seem to be able to separate this out from his admitted behaviour as an abuser of small children. This ability to dissociate — or split off — is a source of genuine concern to the NBSCCCI,” its report said.
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