Child sexual abuse ‘moral failure rather than crime’

THE sexual abuse of children at an industrial school in Galway was viewed by the Christian Brothers as a moral failure rather than a crime, an inquiry heard last night.

Two brothers have been found guilty of sexual abuse at St Joseph’s school in Letterfrack and four more as well as a lay person were disciplined by the Christian Brothers for similar offences in the 1930s, ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s.

At the Child Abuse Commission, provincial leader Brother David Gibson said the congregation had not reported the abuse to the gardaí because of their beliefs at the time. “In the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s, when incidents of child abuse came to the attention of brothers, this was seen as a moral failure on the part of the brothers.

“Strange as it may seem, it wasn’t seen as a crime,” he said.

He said a brother who had not been professed (spent nine years in the congregation) would have been dismissed for the abuse and a brother who was professed would have been given a canonical warning and transferred from the “scene of the crime” in the belief that he would not be likely to re-offend.

One brother who had complaints of sexual abuse made against him was dismissed in 1954, but in 1960 a brother in a similar situation was sent to a day school and later transferred as a superior to St Joseph’s in Letterfrack in 1971.

Another brother who was described as living in a state of depravity with boys in St Joseph’s was removed in 1941 and sent to the O’Brien Institute for Orphans for a “rest.”

However, in some cases, brothers did re-offend and Brother Gibson admitted that the action taken was not adequate when judged by present-day standards.

Earlier, Brother Gibson said there was nothing out of the ordinary about the death of 100 boys during the history of the former industrial school.

The deaths at St Joseph’s occurred from illnesses such as pneumonia, TB and meningitis or from fatal accidents. Brother Gibson said there was not a shred of truth to the recent allegation that the boys had been killed by brothers and buried in unmarked graves.

He added the school had kept records of each of the 100 boys who died during the 86 years it was in existence and that every one had been fully accounted for.