THE head of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC) has called for every diocese in the country to be investigated by the Dublin Archdiocese Commission of Investigation. Following the announcement that the commission will investigate alleged sex abuse in the Cork diocese of Cloyne, Ellen O’Malley-Dunlop, chief executive of the DRCC questioned why, in light of the fact that no diocese completed the section of an HSE audit which would have revealed any abuses, the Government was not asking for them all to be investigated.
She said it simply was not known if there were any similar problems in other dioceses, and the only way to find out would be to probe them.
Ms O’Malley-Dunlop said the number of first-time callers who were victims of institutional abuse — and who had never before spoken to anyone — had increased in recent days.
She urged people seeking support to call 1800 778888.
Set up in 2006 to investigate sex abuse over a 30-year period in the archdiocese of Dublin, the investigative commission in effect has the same powers as a court.
This means it has the authority to compel witnesses and retrieve any documents it may require when it investigates sex abuse allegations in the Diocese of Cloyne over the coming months.
The decision to refer Cloyne comes after it emerged the bishop of Cloyne, Dr John Magee, refused to answer pertinent questions in a HSE report.
The questions, in section five of the HSE audit, were not answered by any bishops on the foot of legal advice they had received.
The commission will have the power to extract that information from the Cloyne diocese.
The investigative committee is due to wind up at the end of the month when it is expected to publish how the archdiocese handled allegations of clerical child sex abuse between January 1, 1975, and April 30, 2004.
Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has said he is happy it is coming to a conclusion, but people will be shocked by its findings.
A sample of the unanswered audit questions from section five of the audit.
Have all complaints or allegations of child sexual abuse made to the diocese been brought to the attention of the HSE and An Garda Síochána?
If not, why not, and who made the determination?
Can you confirm, from your records:
(a) The number of religious from the diocese convicted for child sexual abuse.
(b) The number of religious from the diocese currently under investigation by the civil authorities for child sexual abuse.
(c) The number of allegations of child sexual abuse against religious from your diocese investigated.
(d) The number of child sexual abuse allegations made against religious from the diocese which were not deemed reportable to the civil authorities, and the reason why they were not deemed reportable.
Please provide the following information:
(a) The number of religious who have left the diocese and were the subject of allegations or suspicions or conviction of child sexual abuse?
(b) The number of such religious who have been convicted for child sexual abuse?
(c) The number of such religious currently under investigation for child sexual abuse?
(d) The number of allegations of child sexual abuse against such religious from your diocese investigated but no conviction ensued?
(e) The number of child sexual abuse allegations against such religious where the allegation(s) of child sexual abuse has been deemed unfounded? In each case by whom were they deemed unfounded and who made the determination?
(f) What monitoring arrangements are in place for religious who have been convicted of child sexual abuse?
(g) Are there any allegations that you are aware of which are not being (or have not been) investigated by the Garda and/or HSE?
Are there any religious from your diocese who have stepped aside or are on administrative leave and are awaiting the outcome of an investigation into child sexual abuse?
If yes, how many and what are their living arrangements and what procedures are in place to monitor their potential risk to children in the local community?
If such procedures are in place, who is monitoring them?
(a) From your records, how many religious from your diocese, who were convicted for child sexual abuse or against whom there were allegations of child sexual abuse, have subsequently left the diocese or have been laicised?
(b) In relation to (a) above, how many convicted? How many not convicted, but with allegations made against them?
(c) Do you know where these individuals currently reside?
(d) Are the HSE and/or An Garda Síochána aware of these persons’ circumstances?
Q&A
Q. Who is on the Dublin Archdiocese Commission of Investigation?
A. Judge Yvonne Murphy (chairwoman), barrister Ita Mangan, solicitors Hugh O’Neill and Maeve Doherty.
Q. Why was it set up?
A. The Commission of Investigation was established on 28 March, 2006, to examine and report on complaints or allegations of child sexual abuse made to the archdiocesan and other Catholic Church authorities and public and state authorities from January 1, 1975, to May 1, 2004, against Catholic clergy operating under the aegis of the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin.
Commission staff include a senior counsel, a junior counsel, a solicitor/administrator, five researchers, and six other support staff.
Q. What has it done and what will it do next?
A. The commission has collected information on complaints and allegations of child sexual abuse involving priests of the Dublin Archdiocese and is preparing a report for the Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern due to be handed over in the coming month.
While the commission was set to wind up its operations, on the request of Minister for Children Barry Andrews, it will investigate Cloyne and report back to the Government in six months or less.
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