Big spike in Church child abuse claims

A significant rise in the number of allegations of child sexual abuse relating to the Catholic Church was recorded in the last year, a report by a safeguarding body reveals.

However, the allegations received related to historic cases with the most recent alleged incident dating to 2002.

The National Board for the Safeguarding of Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland (NBSCCCI) said the figures did not suggest the Church was becoming less safe for children.