Church may face child abuse inquiry

An inquiry into allegations of child sex abuse in the Catholic Church is expected to be considered by the Government this week.

Calls have been made for a police investigation, following a programme which reported the Dublin Archdiocese was facing 450 legal actions as a result of claims of clerical sex abuse.

Prime Time, broadcast last week on RTE, detailed accounts of cases of abuse by eight priests, of which it said at least six bishops became aware.

Today a spokesman for Justice Minister Michael McDowell confirmed the minister would be discussing with Cabinet colleagues what type of inquiry may be appropriate.

He said it was possible that the government could appoint a commissioner with statutory powers to investigate the allegations, and that this was one of several options being considered.

It was expected that a decision could be made some time this week.

The Bishop of Killaloe, Willie Walsh, this morning said that everybody should face criminal proceedings for the crimes they have committed.

Speaking on radio he said that if the structures of the Church were not working for its people they should be changed.

“I think each one of us should have to be subject to the law of the land and if any of us does something which is in any way a criminal offence then I think we should be treated accordingly, the same as any other citizen,” he said.

“I think all of us would accept that.”

Bishop Walsh also said it would appear the Archdiocese of Dublin did not adequately inform its priests about a Church court’s decision to defrock Father Tony Walsh – a known child abuser – in 1992.

Father Aidan McGrath, an expert on Canon law, today said it was possible that information given to a priest or bishop in confidence could be subject to confidentiality.

He said it might be possible for a bishop to claim what he knew was privileged and could not be disclosed to any kind of investigation.

“I think it is certainly possible that a bishop would claim privilege,” he said. “Whether or not that would be upheld I have no idea.”

After last week’s broadcast Irish Survivors of Child Abuse, a group representing victims of clerical sexual abuse, called on Cardinal Desmond Connell, leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland, to resign over his handling of the allegations.

The group said the Cardinal’s position was now “untenable“, and that the programme proved what victims “had been saying for years” – that there had been collusion at the highest level in the Catholic Church.

Yesterday the Sunday Tribune added its voice to the calls, saying in its editorial that Cardinal Connell should “put his pride aside and resign“.

Cardinal Connell was jeered at Dublin’s Pro-Cathedral on Saturday as he reiterated an apology of his “failure to deal effectively” with priests who abuse children.

He took the opportunity to address the congregation on the subject while presiding over a mass to celebrate the 24th anniversary of the election of Pope John Paul II.

A spokesman for Cardinal Connell confirmed there were calls of “too late” from members of the congregation at the 6pm mass, but added that there was also applause afterwards.