Catholic bishops have refused to give the state details of specific cases of alleged clerical abuse that were requested as part of a major child protection audit.The bishops’ refusal, which was based on legal advice, has resulted in a key section of the first-ever audit into the Church’s handling of abuse claims being dropped.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) audit was presented to Barry Andrews, the Minister for Children, last month and will be given to cabinet on Wednesday.
The HSE audit was based on a review of questionnaires circulated to more than two dozen bishops nationwide.
However, the bishops refused to fill in a questionnaire dealing with specific cases unless they received a guarantee that the state would assume liability in the event of lawsuits by alleged offenders who may have been named in the audit. As a result, the section was dropped from the audit.
The Sunday Business Post understands the watered-down audit effectively gives a clean bill of health to all Catholic dioceses regarding their compliance with guidelines on reporting suspected abuse.
This includes a good report for the diocese of Cloyne in Cork, where an independent report last month found that child protection practices were ‘‘inadequate and in some respects dangerous’’.
The report by the National Board for Safeguarding Children (NBSC) led to concerns being raised over practices in Cloyne, although the NBSC has also refused to forward a copy of its report to the HSE amid fears that it could be sued by any named alleged abusers.
It is understood the audit team has accepted assurances from the diocese that it is working to achieve compliance with guidelines.
However, Andrews may ask the Dublin Archdiocese Commission of Investigation team to examine practices in Cloyne once it has concluded its probe, at the end of this month, into how abuse claims were handled in the Dublin diocese.
It is understood that lawyers for the state and relevant dioceses are continuing to negotiate terms under which bishops would be able to supply specific details on cases of alleged abuse.
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(Source: SBP)