The government and Church authorities are in discussions about launching an investigation into the handling of allegations of clerical child sexual abuse in all Catholic dioceses.A meeting took place last week between officials from the office of childrens’ minister Barry Andrews and officials from the National Board for the Safeguarding of Children in the Catholic Church (NBSCCC).They discussed a mechanism by which the review would be conducted.
A spokesman for Andrews’s office confirmed that the meeting had taken place, and said that ‘‘the dialogue is ongoing’’.
The main issues to be agreed are the timeframe of any review and the level of legal or statutory protection which any inquiry may require, in order to access private material from external agencies such as the Health Services Executive (HSE) and the Gardaí.After the Irish Bishops Conference earlier this month, Catholic authorities asked the NBSCCC to seek a meeting with Andrews’s office on the issue. It could lead to a nationwide examination of how child protection measures have been implemented in all diocese within the state.
It is believed that the proposed review would also include an examination of how abuse claims were handled by Catholic dioceses in the North.
The NBSCCC is an independent body established by the Church in 2006 to monitor compliance with child protection guidelines.
Meanwhile, pressure continues to mount this weekend on several bishops who were mentioned in the Murphy report into abuse in the Dublin archdiocese.
Bishop of Limerick Donal Murray tendered his resignation last week, after facing heavy criticism in the report over his handling of clerical child sex abuse complaints.
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