A summation of the Vatican’s report into the handling of cases of clerical child sexual abuse in Ireland has found that new standards for safeguarding children are being followed.
A seven-page summation of the report was published at the Columba Centre in St Patrick’s College, Maynooth this morning at a briefing attended by Cardinal Seán Brady, Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin and papal nuncio to Ireland Archbishop Charles Brown.
The report was completed after seven teams of Vatican-appointed church leaders visited Ireland.
The teams visited the four Irish Archdioceses, two seminaries and the male and female congregations.
The visits followed Pope Benedict XVI’s Pastoral Letter to the Catholics of Ireland which was published two years ago today following the publication of the Murphy Report into clerical sexual abuse in November 2009.
The report documented some 70 years of child abuse by a number of priests across the State.
During their stay in Ireland the visitors were able themselves to see just how much the shortcomings of the past gave rise to an inadequate understanding of and reaction to the terrible abuse of minors, the report said.
“The visitors were able to verify that beginning in the 1990s progressive steps have been taken towards a greater awareness of how serious is the problem of abuse, both in the church an society,” it said.
It said the visitors were able to verify that the current standards for safeguarding children and guidance document for the Catholic Church in Ireland are being followed.
The report said archbishops of the visited dioceses gave assurance that all newly-discovered cases of abuse are being notified to the Garda and promptly brought before both the competent civil authority and the congregation for the doctrine of the faith.
It said the visitors were struck by efforts made by the clergy to implement guidelines and to create safe environments for children.