Church board rejects Archbishop concerns

THE Catholic Church’sNational Board for Safeguarding Children (NBSC) has said it has “no evidence” to suggest that child protection guidelines are not being adhered to in all dioceses across the country.

NBSC chief executive Ian Elliot was responding to the controversial speech made by Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin to the Knights of Columbanus on Monday night where he spoke of “strong forces” within the Church who didn’t want the full truth about clerical abuse to emerge. In the speech, Archbishop Martin also expressed fears that child protection was still not being given by the attention it deserved by all the dioceses, stating “there are worrying signs that despite solid [child protection] regulations and norms, these are not being followed with the rigour required”.

Last night, Mr Elliot said he has “no knowledge of any complaints in relation to non-compliance with child protection guidelines”.