Ferns Inquiry breaks new ground

THE Ferns Inquiry report is the first report of its kind in Ireland, following the first completed investigation by the State into how a church body conducted its affairs.

The 271-page report follows an inquiry chaired by retired Supreme Court judge Frank Murphy which heard evidence from over 100 complainants of abuse since its hearings began in September 2003.

It had the full co-operation of diocesan Church authorities, as well as the South Eastern Health Board and gardaí.

Among those who gave evidence were Bishop Eamonn Walsh, apostolic administrator to Ferns diocese following the resignation of Bishop Brendan Comiskey in April 2002; Bishop Comiskey himself, and Dr Michael Ledwith, a priest of the diocese formerly president of St Patrick’s College, Maynooth.

The inquiry follows an investigation by Mr George Birmingham SC into how allegations of paedophilia in Ferns might best be inquired into by the State. He was asked to do so in April 2003 by then Health Minister Micheal Martin after Comiskey’s resignation after the broadcast of the BBC Suing the Pope programme on child sex abuse in the diocese. The report discloses details of allegations made since the 1960s against 25 to 30 priests of the Ferns diocese, eight of whom are dead. Only those priests convicted in the courts, who are deceased, or against whom allegations are deemed proven, will be named.

The number of Ferns priests against whom allegations have been made in the report is believed to be the highest proportionally of accused priests in a Catholic diocese worldwide.

There are 148 priests in Ferns, 104 of whom are serving.

Many accused Ferns priests continued to teach, give religious instruction to children, or act as school managers in primary and secondary schools even after the diocese received allegations against them.

The inquiry also investigated claims related to allegations from the early 1980s by seminarians at Maynooth against Dr Ledwith.

A report conducted for the 17 trustee bishops at the seminary led to them apologising to a former dean there, Fr Gerard McGinnity, whose career was seriously damaged when he acted on the seminarians’ concerns. Fr McGinnity did not co-operate with the Maynooth investigation nor did most of the relevant seminarians. However, they and Fr McGinnity gave evidence to the Ferns inquiry.

On March 30, 2004, the Catholic diocese of Ferns reached settlement with three men who were victims of abuse by the late Fr Seán Fortune and with Ms Fiona Gahan who was abused at Monageer by the late Father James Grennan.

It is understood the men abused by Father Fortune received amounts of 300,000, 250,000 and 135,000.

Two of the abused came forward after the BBC’s Suing the Pope was broadcast in March 2002. One of the men featured, the director/founder of the One in Four organisation, Colm O’Gorman, received 300,000 in settlement from the diocese in April, 2003.