26 Cork and Ross priests were accused of abuse, report finds

An audit of child safeguarding practices at the diocese of Cork and Ross has found that 26 priests had allegations of abuse made against them between 1975 and 2011.

Three priests against whom allegations were made remain in ministry, while seven have retired.

The National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church raised concerns about priests retiring into the geographical area of the diocese of Cork and Ross from dioceses in Britain.

The board said that information on the status of these priests was not as forthcoming as it should have been from their home dioceses, which resulted in a lack of awareness of potential risk to children.

The report also said that while current practice in this regard is excellent, in the past there were delays in some cases in informing the statutory authorities.

An Garda Síochána and the HSE have been notified of all concerns, complaints and allegations against priests that are known to the diocese of Cork and Ross.