THE CHAIRMAN of the Catholic Church’s National Board for Safeguarding Children has called for “radical change” to the church’s clericalism.“Until clericalism is completely behind us, we are not going to see change,” John Morgan said.
“Clericalism is the antithesis of what the church is supposed to be about.”
He challenged lay Catholics “to take initiatives, to put it up to church leadership. We wouldn’t have the word ‘laity’ if we didn’t have the word ‘clergy’. Very significant change is required.”
Mr Morgan was speaking in Dublin yesterday at a press conference to launch the board’s second annual report.
Its chief executive Ian Elliott said two clear conclusions could be drawn.
“Firstly, that children should be safer today within the church than they once were. Secondly, those that seek to harm children should feel less secure.”
He was unsure how to assess the report findings that there had been 197 new allegations of abuse in the year ending last March 31st, but it would be easier next year when they would use this year’s figures as a benchmark.
He agreed that publication of the Ryan report last May and the Murphy report last November might have had an influence on the number of people coming forward with new allegations.
Asked about the three dioceses where no parishes had a parish safeguarding representative – Killala, Clonfert and Ossory – Mr Elliott said: “One of the frustrations of this job is having to come to terms with the attitude to time. It’s not that people are resistant, it isn’t that there’s massive resistance, just that some are slower getting off the mark.”
In Killala, priests and sacristans had been trained in child protection while in Ossory, they were waiting for gardaí to vet personnel. “It’s less clear in Clonfert,” he said. “We would like things to happen quicker.”
Asked about the address of the Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin to the Knights of Columbanus last week, Mr Elliott said he was “very much in support of him . . . The [NBSC] board would be very taken with his comments.”
The archbishop had warned of “strong forces” in the Catholic Church in Ireland “which would prefer that the truth did not emerge” about clerical child sex abuse. He also said there were “worrying signs that despite solid regulations and norms [for child protection], these are not being followed with the rigour required”.
Mr Elliott said anyone with knowledge of non-compliance (with regulations and norms) should report them to the NBSC.
“Without evidence it is difficult to do so,” he said “I don’t have evidence of widespread non-compliance, but there is increased evidence of commitment to change.”
Mr Elliott said he felt Dr Martin, like himself, got “frustrated when things were not happening more quickly”.
It was “really very important if he has knowledge of non-compliance that he share it [with the NBSC national office] so it can be addressed. I believe he would know that, with confidence.”
Mr Elliott was critical of State guidelines on child protection and the resources available to implement them. Stronger legislation was needed and greater allocation of resources. The comparable situation in Northern Ireland was “more advanced”, he said.
KEY FINDINGS:
- New allegations of abuse against 197 people were reported between April 1st, 2009, and March 31st, 2010, all historical in nature. None came from young people or children and some dated back over 50 years.
- Eighty-seven referred to clergy in the dioceses and the remaining 110 to religious congregations, orders and missionary societies.
- Eighty-three of the alleged abusers are dead. Thirty-five have been laicised or dismissed from their congregation.
- Three dioceses, Ossory, Killala and Clonfert, have no trained safeguarding representative in place.