Abuse victim’s brother plans altar protest during Easter Sunday Mass

THE brother of a man abused at an industrial school is planning an altar protest during communion at one of the biggest Catholic churches in the country on the most important day in the church’s calendar.

Kevin Flanagan, whose late brother Michael was a survivor of the Artane Industrial School in the 1950s, plans to lead protesters to the altar in Dublin’s Pro-Cathedral during the 11am Mass on Easter Sunday to lay children’s shoes as symbols of the children hurt by priests and religious-run institutions.

“There is still a lot of denial in the church. These people still don’t know, still don’t understand, still use this argument that it was only some priests [who abused],” he said.