RCNI Press Release - 13 July 2011

It is abundantly clear from the Cloyne Report that we cannot rely on any voluntary disclosure by the catholic church regarding responses to allegations of clerical child sexual abuse.

Executive Director Fiona Neary Stated ‘The Cloyne Report depicts yet another litany of failures in child protection and the deliberate misleading of the state and the public in the continued interest of protecting the institution of the catholic church. This is the same institution which continues to occupy a position of trust, power and privilege within our education system and in particular in our primary school system.

While Bishop Mc Gee assured the public and the government that all allegations were being reported to the Gardaí and the HSE, today’s report shows that in fact not one was reported to the HSE and nine that clearly should have been reported to the Gardaí were not. Bishop Mc Gee deliberately created different versions of a meeting regarding serious sexual offences. HSE audits and internal catholic church audits remain dependent on voluntary disclosures by the catholic church regarding their handling of allegations of clerical abuse - which clearly cannot be trusted.

The RCNI welcomes the strong measures introduced today by the Minister for Justice and the Minister for Children, especially legislative proposals regarding the withholding of information regarding the abuse of a child or vulnerable adult which will carry penalties including a custodial sentence. However, it is imperative that the government remains open to undertaking further investigations and statutory enquiries into the catholic church dealings with allegations of clerical sexual abuse. What further failures continue to be covered up by the church?

We welcome that the unacceptable role played by the Vatican, as described in the report today, will be brought to the attention of the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

The report highlights the failure of the Diocese to put in place a proper support system for victims. Apologies by the catholic church to victims are meaningless until it is evident that child protection, support for complainants and full compliance with all statutory and non-statutory guidelines are at the heart of the institution. It is otherwise inevitable that these apologies are viewed as simply another cynical and deliberate tactic in a strategy to protect the institution of the church.