We got it wrong, says Bishop Walsh

SERIOUS mistakes were made and the Church got its own teachings wrong when dealing with allegations of clerical sexual abuse, Dr Eamonn Walsh has claimed.

In a follow-up to the Suing the Pope on BBC 2 tomorrow night, the temporary successor to Dr Brendan Comiskey in the Diocese of Ferns, who resigned over the issue, says the Church got its approach very wrong.

“Somewhere along the line, we treated our fellow priests as if they were special in the family. A lot of our energy went on treating them, not the people who were knocked down and shattered.