Diocese moves to protect children

EVERY parish in the diocese of Cork and Ross will have a trained child protection representative by the end of the year as part of policy to safeguard children.

Under the policy, parents will have to give written consent before their children can take part in church-related activities, such as altar serving.

Bishop John Buckley of Cork and Ross launched the document yesterday and said it was a statement of the commitment of his diocese to ensure that children and young people involved in church-related activities were safeguarded and respected.