THE extent to which many people feel let down and angry was acknowledged by Cardinal Seán Brady yesterday as the Diocese of Cloyne accepted the findings of the HSE report into the management of child sexual abuse issues in the diocese. Bishop John Magee yesterday repeated his apology to all victims of abuse by priests in his diocese and urged “any person who has been abused or has concerns about child protection to contact the gardaí, the HSE or the diocese”.
A spokesperson for the bishop said he (Magee) would give “every possible cooperation” to the examination of “the operation of practices and policies in relation to child protection by the Catholic Diocese of Cloyne”.
The diocese “engaged fully with the HSE in the preparation of this report and we agreed action to be taken which would enhance the capacity of the diocese in the area of child protection,” the spokesperson added.
The diocese has already appointed a new child protection delegate, accepted in full the recommendations of the National Board for Safeguarding Children (NBSC) and reached agreement with the HSE as regards the need for ongoing collaboration with the HSE in refining child protection practices, the statement added.
“As already stated in his address to the people of the diocese on Christmas Eve, Bishop Magee is ‘taking full responsibility for the implementation of all recommendations made in the NBSC report’. Bishop Magee has also contacted Mr Ian Elliott of the NBSC stating he will sign the commitment sought by the National Board of all Bishops “as soon as it becomes available”.
Meanwhile, Cardinal Seán Brady welcomed the measures announced by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Barry Andrews. “I am conscious that current events concerning the handling of allegations by the Diocese of Cloyne have brought further anxiety to victims of abuse.”
Cardinal Brady also welcomed the announcement that the minister’s office and the HSE would be engaging with the National Board for Safeguarding Children “to explore how they can co-operate to ensure the highest standards of child safeguarding practice within the Catholic Church”.
“I am confident that the competence and independence of the National Board will play a key role in addressing the deficit of trust noted by the minister,” he said.
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said he fully endorsed the cardinal’s statement.
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(Source: IE)