Subscribe to the News Feed Newsback to News

Tuesday, 21 July 2009

Second damning report for Catholic Church

Up to 450 people have alleged they were abused by Catholic priests in the Archdiocese of Dublin.

A damning report - the second devastating scandal to rock the Church in Ireland this year - details abusers and their victims, following a mammoth investigation looking at files dating back to 1940.

It was handed to Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern on Tuesday.

He is warning over the dangers of prejudicing criminal trials ahead of the publication.

"It would be the desire of any Minister to publish a report as soon as possible." he said. "But if there is something in it that would suggest there could be difficulty for future criminal proceedings, I don't want to do anything that would cause people to get off if they were supposed to be brought before the courts.

"We would always err on the side of caution."

Mr Ahern confirmed that Attorney General Paul Gallagher had been asked to examine the report and advise on how to proceed - he will also forward a copy to Children's Minister Barry Andrews.

Victims

The latest figures from the Archdiocese revealed it has identified up to 450 victims who allege they were abused by clerics since 1940.

The Minister and Department of Justice officials will examine the report and the Attorney General or the High Court may be asked to assess if publication will prejudice ongoing prosecutions.

It is understood three priests were facing charges linked to the abuse allegations - one has pleaded guilty.

The report by the Government-appointed Commission headed by Judge Yvonne Murphy investigated a sample of 46 priests who have had complaints against them over three decades since 1975.

It has also looked at the response to allegations by a succession of bishops, including Cardinal Desmond Connell - who last year dropped a potentially embarrassing court challenge to stop the Commission getting access to Church files.

The Commission investigated 19 bishops, seven are dead.

It is not clear when the report will be published or if the names of priests will be censored.

No findings of the report have been revealed, but a decision is expected on whether to publish in the next few days.

The new figures from the Archdiocese follow the harrowing Ryan report published in May which detailed horrific abuse perpetrated by religious orders in state and church run institutions over several decades.

The revelations in five volumes detail shocking physical, sexual and psychological abuse meted out to thousands of youngsters, some of whom were only put into care because their families were too poor.

Pope Benedict met Ireland's most senior clerics, Cardinal Sean Brady and Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin, in the wake of the report to discuss its findings.

Send to a friend

Email To
Your Name
Comment

Comments

10 Comments

At 10:27 on 26 July 2009, lorna wrote:

Colin, my faith is on what is in the Holy Bible. Some more dates on the history of the RC church. The worship of Mary began in 431 -the immaculate conception. 1834 - prayers to Mary. 600 - The idea that souls go to purgatory. 593 The rosary prayers began in 1090. I believe that the church has got a lot in common with the Jewish. The sacrifice of the animal for the sins of the people was a blood sacrifice only now its Jesus offered up, when we say it is bread and wine we go back to the last supper Jesus was still alive when he said "This do in rememberance of me". The other reason why the RC church is like the jewish is they hold services on the saturday but then they do not keep the Lord's day holy. WHY

At 22:03 on 25 July 2009, lorna wrote:

Colin. It was Peter not Paul that Jesus said to "You are the rock". It being Peter's faith was the rock, not himself. For when the disciples were disputing who was the greatest, Jesus rebuked them and called them children. There is no reference to Mary's assumption in the New testament, this makes me wonder where this came from. Surely if she had a bigger part to play in God's salvation, her assending into heaven would be recorded.

At 03:49 on 23 July 2009, Colin wrote:

Lorna: 1 Cor 7:8 - Paul was celibate and recommended celibabcy for full time mininisters (1Cor 7:32-35). Jeremiah was forbid to marry (Jer 16:1-4). Please note in the other rites of the Holy Catholic Church, e.g., Maronite Catholic Church, Chaldean Catholic Church etc., their Catholic priests are able to marry but not after taking holy orders. Bishops in the Eastern Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Church are celibate. So the Catholic Church does permit Priests to marry. It's only the Latin Rite (more commonly known as the Roman Catholic Church) has celibabcy as a discipline. Now there are some priests that were married Anglican priests that "swam the tiber" and are now married Roman Catholic Priests.

At 03:35 on 23 July 2009, Colin wrote:

Lorna: The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary dates back to the early Church. The Orthodox Church proclaim this as the dormition of Mary. You should read the Church documents about it. Just because it was proclaimed a dogma of the Church in 1950, doesn't mean it's a new idea. It's just like the Apostles and early church proclaimed the consecrated bread and wine is the Body and Blood of Christ, this truth was reaffirmed in the Council of Trent. Please also note faith without works is dead (Jam 2:14-24). Not all that call Lord, Lord will get to heaven (Mat 7:21). However as Christians we should fight together against the common enemy that tries to tear us apart. God bless.

At 16:52 on 22 July 2009, lorna wrote:

It was not until the year 1079 that Pope Hildebrand Boniface decreed that priests should remain celibrate.There have been at lease 41 changes to the catholic church since the early christian church.It was in the year 1950 that the Assumption of Mary was decreed and that was only an assumption no evidence was found of it being true

At 12:20 on 22 July 2009, lorna wrote:

Colin There is no one on earth holy. all have sinned no church on earth can be purified free from sin only through the blood of Christ can man be saved not through the church can we go to heaven by personal faith. The church has drifted away from the bible and maybe is attracting the wrong men but we are human and human man has desires and it is wrong for man to live alone it is not the will of GOD either

At 23:30 on 21 July 2009, Colin wrote:

First of all we must pray for the healing of those harmed by these priests. Second we must pray for those that committed these sexual crimes. Third we must remember that these priests that did this are NOT interested in women and therefore marriage is not the answer. Lets not beat around the bush here. These crimes were committed by peadeophile's and homosexual men that took on the Holy Orders of Priests. They are not interested in marriage and women. The only relief coming out of this is that there may be some comfort for the victims and the Holy Catholic Church in Ireland will be purified.