Broad support for Church’s child abuse initiative

STRICT new guidelines to protect against child abuse within the Catholic Church, which are expected to become policy later this year, have met with broad support.

Under the new draft, every allegation of abuse against a Church worker or volunteer is to be referred to both the gardaí and the relevant health board.

“It’s a bit late in the day, but welcome,” said John Kelly, Irish co-ordinator of Survivors of Clerical Abuse (SOCA).

Paul Gilligan, chief executive, Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC), said: “We welcome the fact they are saying that all Church personnel who have contact with children will need to be garda-vetted. But we would be obliged to point out that, as we speak, that would not be available to them,” he added. “The current position is that the only people who can use the garda vetting process are health board employees or some related residential facilities. So the education sector, the voluntary sector, the sports sector, none of those people can access garda vetting.”

Under the draft guidelines, the Church would vet all childcare workers - full-time, part-time, both clerical and lay.

All personnel wishing to work with children would first have to go through a very strict selection process.

The Irish hierarchy and heads of religious congregations are currently reviewing the draft policy.

Maureen Lynott, who headed a group of child protection experts who drew up the draft policy also helped the State draw up its own guidelines.

Said Mr Kelly of SOCA: “Anything that protects children in the future has to be welcomed. Maybe the Church should have looked at it a long time ago, but we have to move on.”

Mr Kelly also welcomed the fact that the Church appeared to be moving away from the way it previously addressed child abuse allegations by adopting an “in-house” investigation under its own Canon Law.