BishopAccountability.org
	Accord Denies Confidentiality Dispute with Archbishop By Caroline O'Doherty One in Four [Ireland] October 7, 2006 http://www.oneinfour.org/news/news2006/accord/ Accord, the Catholic marriage advisory and counselling agency, yesterday denied reports it was embroiled in a dispute over files wanted for the investigation into clerical child sex abuse in the Dublin Diocese. A story in the Irish Catholic newspaper said the agency was forced to defy an order from Archbishop Diarmuid Martin to hand over files in its possession for fear of breaching confidentiality agreements with clients. The Dublin Diocese said last night, however, that the story was "seriously inaccurate" and there was concern that existing or prospective clients of Accord could be put off availing of the agency's services as a result. The Diocesan communications office also released a statement on behalf of Accord which confirmed there was a request to examine files in the agency's possession but said client confidentiality was not compromised. That statement read: "Accord Dublin is complying with the request of the archbishop and is doing so in accordance with its policy on confidentiality and its ethical and legal obligations." A statutory Commission of Investigation was set up last March, under the chairmanship of Judge Yvonne Murphy, to inquire into the sexual abuse of children by priests in the Dublin Diocese between 1975 and 2004 following repeated complaints that the church had failed to adequately examine or deal with the problem itself. As part of its investigations, the commission asked for disclosure of all records relating to incidents, allegations or suspicions of abuse held by the Dublin Diocese, its parishes and agencies. Archbishop Martin was asked to pass on the request to agencies such as Accord, Catholic Youth Care and Crosscare, arranging for all relevant files to be forwarded to the commission through his offices.
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