An abuse survivor has called on Archbishop Dermot Martin to reveal who are the “strong forces” in the Catholic Church preventing the truth about sex abuse from coming out. John Ayres (53) has been on hunger strike outside the Archbishop of Dublin's official residence in Drumcondra since Monday morning at 7am.
He has hung dozens of children's shoes on railings leading up to the Archbishop's Palace to draw attention to the issue.
“The reaction from people passing by has been brilliant, particularly yesterday a year after the Ryan Report was published,” he said.
“If Archbishop Martin came out to talk to us I would ask him to send the Ryan Report and the other reports to the Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg and to hand himself over as well,” he said.
The archbishop last week spoke of “strong forces” in the Church and indicated that reforms within the Church to improve child protection services were being resisted by powerful forces within the organisation.
SIC: BT