The Diocese of Raphoe has confrimed that two audits have been carried out into child protection in the diocese.
The diocese confirmed this week that
audits have been completed by the catholic church’s National Board for
the Safegaurding of Children and the HSE.
The statement from the
diocese comes on the back of mounting pressure for a full independent
inquiry into clerical abuse in the dioceses following the publication of
the report on the Cloynes diocese last week.
Dioceses
communications officer Fr. Paddy Dunne told the Donegal Democrat the
final report of the review of the dioceses by the National Board for
Safeguarding Children has not been finalised yet and the dioceses is
waiting to receive both it and a HSE report.
Both reports are welcomed
by Bishop Philip Boyce, he said.
“It is the intention of the
dioceses to publish the report shortly after we receive it,” he said.
“The Bishop welcomes both the reports and hopes that they strengthen the
safeguarding procedures in the dioceses.”
He added that the bishop
would welcome any inquiry in the dioceses.
In a letter to the
Irish Times this week the bishop said he had fully co-operated with the
audit by the HSE and the audit review by the National Board for
Safeguarding Children.
“The diocese takes the duty of safeguarding
children very seriously,” he said.
He said all allegations of abuse in
the diocese are reported to the statutory authorities and all 33
parishes have two or more child protection representatives who train all
church personnel who are involved in activities with children.
He
said an audit of good practise is carried out every year in each parish
every year and forwarded to the National Board for Safeguarding
Children. Vetting for those who work with children have also been put in
place, he said.
The bishops’ letter was in response to an Irish
Times article by journalist Mary Rafferty in which she identified the
Raphoe and Derry dioceses as the two of the most obvious cases for an
independent inquiry.
The diocese of Raphoe, she said, has had
“persistent allegations that there was knowledge of abuse at the highest
levels which was not acted on”.
Retired detective Martin Ridge,
who investigated the case of Father Eugene Greene has also called for a
an full inquiry into the dioceses.
“Those who presided over the carnage
are still in power,” he said.
“Victims were let down by every system,
the church the health service and even the gardaí.”