Churchgoers should not have to pay for another layer of bureauracy

I WAS puzzled by the one-page feature (Irish Examiner, October 23) in which Seán McCárthaigh uncritically took on board the faulting by Colm O’Gorman of our clergy for not having mandatory reporting of sex-abuse allegations against priests and other church workers.

He should, I suggest, have asked Mr O’Gorman why he doesn’t fault our schools, health and legal services, and so on, for not having mandatory reporting.

Why pick on our church? Why should our Mass contributions pay for yet another layer of church bureaucracy? Why should we underwrite a “National Office for Child Protection whose chief executive is expected to be a lay professional with expertise in childcare management at the highest level?”

And, no doubt, paid at ‘highest level’ rates, too, with full pension rights as if the office would be busy forever — when no other corporate body is expected to do so?

Besides, would not the assessment work of such an office duplicate what would happen if those making allegations reported to the gardaí in the first instance?

I suggest that our clergy refuse totally to have such an office paid for by our Mass contributions and, instead, advise those making allegations to report to the gardaí.

What answer has Mr O’Gorman to that? If he cannot answer convincingly, I suggest we can only conclude he is obsessed with abusing his position to attempt to wound our church — that is, to wound all of us who are practising, contributing church members.

Joe Foyle

Sandford Road

Ranelagh

Dublin 6.