The Government has apologised following the publication of an
inquiry into the failings surrounding the abuse allegations in an Irish
diocese and pledged to implement safeguards to prevent the issues
arising again.
And Justice Minister Alan Shatter said that a small
number of cases where the Garda handling of allegations has been called
into question have been handed over to the Garda Ombudsman.
On the inquiry, he said: "Many of its findings are for others to
account for. But for any failings on the part of the State through the
years, we express our profound sorrow.
"This report is about just some of those who, as children, were
abused by people they respected as arbiters of right and wrong - whose
complaints were handled atrociously - and who now find that some of the
promises that were made that other children would be kept safe were
empty."
The Government said it will set up a vetting bureau, with new laws
enacted in the autumn to allow the sharing of soft information on people
wishing to work with children.
There are also plans to bring in laws making it an offence to
withhold information on crimes against children and vulnerable adults.
Cardinal Sean Brady, the head of the Catholic Church in Ireland,
described the failings in Cloyne as "deplorable and totally
unacceptable".
Archbishop of Cashel and Emly Dermot Clifford, the Apostolic Administrator of Cloyne, apologised.
"I am appalled by the depth of damage and suffering caused by a
minority of clergy in the Diocese, as outlined in this report," the
Archbishop said.
"Great pain was also caused to the families of those abused, whose
strong relationship with the Catholic Church was, in a number of cases,
damaged or destroyed."