Victim: Probe reveals order’s ‘criminality’

A child abuse victim who received a written apology from the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart has described the Catholic Church’s investigation into the handling of child abuse at the order as “evidence of institutional criminality”.

Henry Mc Cullagh said that even though he was knew there was a culture of child abuse at Sacred Heart College in Carrignavar, Co Cork, he “couldn’t believe how systemic it was throughout the order”.

Last week’s report by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church described the order’s handling of child abuse complaints as indefensible and its culture of secrecy around complaints as “deeply flawed”. The gardaí and the HSE were not told of child abuse complaints and when priests confessed to widespread child abuse, this too was kept secret.