DUBLIN (IRELAND)
Irish Times
October 11, 2019
By Jack Power
Youth organisation has been embroiled in a a historic sex abuse scandal in recent times
A woman involved in the management of last year’s papal visit to Ireland is to become the chief executive of Scouting Ireland.
Anne Griffin is to take over as head of the youth organisation from Dr John Lawlor in January, and will be the first woman to hold the role in the organisation’s history.
Ms Griffin was the general manager of the World Meeting of Families, a major religious gathering which saw Pope Francis deliver a Mass in Dublin’s Phoenix Park in August of last year.
She was also the general manager of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress, another major international Catholic Church event, which was held in Dublin in 2012.
She was also employed as a consultant advise on the running of the 2015 and 2020 congresses.
Dr Lawlor has been chief executive of Scouting Ireland since 2012, and previously held several national volunteer roles in the youth organisation, which has more than 50,000 members.
Scouting Ireland has been at the centre of controversy over the last two years, following several governance and child protection scandals which were revealed by The Irish Times.
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