Sherlock: Publication of report only a minor step forward for victims

THE Church showed favour to accused priests and systematically failed abuse victims, a junior minister who fought to reveal the truth in Cloyne has said.

As a TD in opposition, Labour’s Seán Sherlock pushed for the publication of a damning report on the diocese by the Church’s own watchdog, known as the Elliot report.

The revelations in that document, in turn, led to the state-established Commission of Investigation into the diocese, the results of which were published in yesterday’s report.

Mr Sherlock, now a junior minister at the Department of Enterprise, said the commission’s report made it clear that Bishop John Magee and Monsignor Denis O’Callaghan failed the victims.

“There was no support system put in place to protect complainants. There is no doubt that the Church showed favour towards accused priests,” he said.

“The Church not only failed the survivors of child sexual abuse but every other practising Catholic who expected the Church through (its protocols) to protect its most vulnerable against predators of this nature.

“The publication of the report is only a minor step forward for survivors. All of them on a daily basis await justice.

“Thankfully, through the bravery of survivors, the state is now in a position to ensure that child protection procedures and mandatory reporting will become the norm.”

Sinn Féin spokesman on children, Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, said that in the wake of the report’s findings, the Government should call in the papal nuncio to account for the Vatican’s role.

“The Vatican is not just a Church bureaucracy — it is a sovereign state with which the Irish state has diplomatic relations,” he said.

“The Government should now demand an urgent and formal diplomatic meeting with the papal nuncio to account for the role of the Vatican in facilitating individual Irish bishops to ignore procedures designed to protect children from abuse.”

Fianna Fáil spokesman on children Charlie McConalogue said that when it came to the situation in other dioceses, it would not be sufficient to rely on audits by the Church and HSE.

“The commissions to date have established the scale of these crimes within three dioceses,” he said.

“They have uncovered sufficient evidence to demand the creation of a nationwide initiative to hear the voices of victims from across the country.

“We must build on the work that has been done and establish a framework to ensure that the voices of victims across our country can be heard.”