NI church 'will co-operate' after report
The Bishop of Down and Connor has said the Catholic Church in Northern Ireland would co-operate fully with any investigation into allegations of child abuse involving members of the clergy.
Friday, 27 November 2009
Bishop Noel Treanor spoke to UTV following the publication of the report into child sex abuse in the Dublin archdiocese on Thursday.
"The church in Northern Ireland, through the words of Cardinal Brady some time ago indicated that in the event of any such inquiry being initiated, the church will cooperate fully and completely," he said.
"If it is deemed necessary that any inquiry be conducted into the sexual abuse of children, once such a decision is taken, the church and the diocese will cooperate."
Last month, victims in Northern Ireland also called for a major investigation similar to the Ryan report that catalogued abuse by Catholic clergy in the Republic of Ireland.
A lawyer for the victims said they suffered sexual and physical abuse in cases dating back to the 1940s, but believed they have been discriminated against since inquires in the south of Ireland did not extend to Northern Ireland.
The damning report into 30 years of child abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese uncovered inappropriate contacts between members of the Republic of Ireland's An Garda Siochana and the Dublin Archdiocese.
Survivors of clerical abuse have demanded that senior clergy and gardai who allowed known paedophile priests to prey on defenceless children be brought to justice.
Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy said one of the country's top detectives will scrutinise the mishandling of complaints and investigations by both Church and State authorities, including gardai.
"The Commission has identified failings on the part of both Church and State authorities in their response to complaints of child sexual abuse," Mr Murphy said.
"The focus of this examination will be to establish whether those failings amounted to criminal behaviour.
"I will then consult with the Director of Public Prosecutions as to what issues arise in the context of criminal liability," said Mr Murphy.
A dedicated garda telephone line has been set up on 00353 (0)1 666 3066.
Survivors of clerical abuse also called for an investigation into how allegations of abuse were dealt with by the Catholic hierarchy in Dublin to be widened to investigate every Archdiocese across Ireland.
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