Bishops begin conference about sex abuse audit

Ireland’s bishops began a three-day conference today to consider establishing an independent audit of child sex abuse by the clergy.

Ireland’s Roman Catholic bishops began a three-day conference today to consider establishing an independent audit of child sex abuse by the clergy.

The move followed a pledge made by the church authorities earlier this year after the resignation of a senior bishop over his handling of abuse charges against a priest who subsequently committed suicide.

Dr Brendan Comiskey quit as Bishop of Ferns, County Wexford, and at the weekend, his successor Bishop Eamonn Walsh apologised directly for the abuse carried out by the priest at the centre of the row, Father Sean Fortune, over a period beginning almost 20 years ago.

Since the departure of Bishop Comiskey, fresh details have emerged about the sudden - and initially unexplained - resignation eight years ago of the president of the Maynooth seminary in County Kildare.

It has since been confirmed that Monsignor Michael Ledwith stepped down after being accused of abusing a minor, and later made an out-of-court settlement in relation to the case.

Ahead of the bishops’ meeting ironically being staged at Maynooth, the regular venue for top church discussions the current president of the seminary, Monsignor Dermot Farrell, said he believed the college would benefit from an inquiry into the way complaints about his predecessor were handled.