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	Cardinal Connell to Give Evidence at Abuse Inquiry By John Cooney Irish Independent May 25, 2006 http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1619840&issue_id=14096 CARDINAL Desmond Connell is to give evidence to the Commission of Investigation into clerical sexual abuse in Dublin. The cardinal is to address the inquiry this autumn about his handling of notorious paedophile priests, such as Ivan Payne and Tony Walsh. But a decision has yet to be made by commission chairperson Judge Yvonne Murphy as to whether the 80-year-old will give his evidence at a public hearing or in private. A member of the commission, Ita Mangan, told the Irish Independent Cardinal Connell's evidence will be heard in public as there is provision for this in our terms of reference. "But we have still to weigh up whether we would obtain more information in camera or in public session about the scale of child clerical sexual abuse in the archdiocese during his period as Archbishop of Dublin." Welcoming the commencement of the commission's work, Deirdre Fitzpatrick, the legal director of the One in Four victims' support group, said that it would be crucial that its deliberations should have a strong public dimension. The investigation is expected to be more extensive, significant and shocking than last October's Ferns Inquiry which provoked a massive public outcry into the scale of past church cover-ups of priest rapists. Within hours of beginning an advertising campaign, the Dublin Commission has already received over 10 phone calls from members of the public, revealed Ms Mangan, a barrister. The advertising campaign is being conducted in national and local newspapers as well as national and local broadcasting stations.
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