Church must insure public trust

>THE Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) yesterday called on the Catholic Church to bring in vetting procedures for any cleric working with children.

Gardaí should vet all Catholic Church personnel before they are allowed to work with children, according to the ISPCC.

ISPCC chief executive Paul Gilligan said this would ensure that those who have been proven to be a risk to children, but have not a criminal conviction, will be monitored.

Mr Gilligan welcomed the setting up of the Special Garda Investigation Team to probe clerical child abuse within the Dublin diocese.

But Mr Gilligan said the Catholic Church needs to have a strong, clear child protection practice and re-establish public trust in its commitment to child protection.

The ISPCC also called on the Catholic church to make an unequivocal public statement reassuring the public that:

No person who is a known risk or suspected of being a risk to children has access to children within the church.

Any person against whom a substantial allegation of child abuse is made is removed from having access to children while this allegation is being investigated.

All suspicions, allegations or disclosures of child abuse be passed on to the statutory authorities for investigation.

The ISPCC believes the Catholic Church needs to protect its personnel who provide a vital service to children within communities every day and who were betrayed by those who used their position of trust to abuse children, Mr Gilligan said.

A Catholic Church spokeswoman had not responded to the ISPCC's demands at the time of going to press. Meanwhile, the victims of abuse yesterday criticised Cardinal Desmond Connell's latest statement on the issue claiming it was totally inadequate.

Cardinal Connell said the Dublin archdiocese would co-operate fully with any body of inquiry set by an appropriate authority. But he said the Hussey Commission set up by the church could carry out a totally independent inquiry.

One in Four, the group representing victims, said the cardinal's statement showed that the church had made no progress despite recent revelations.