Brothers’ shock at allegations challenged

IT was difficult to understand why allegations of abuse should have come as such a shock to the Christian Brothers as child sexual abuse was a persistent problem, the Commission of Inquiry in Child Abuse found.

According to the commission, during its investigation, the stance of the Christian Brothers was that their institutions were not abusive and provided a positive experience.

During the investigation committee’s hearings, Br David Gibson, then province leader of St Mary’s Province of the Christian Brothers, outlined the response of the congregation to the issue of child abuse in Ireland.