Protecting children – Progress but vigilance still essential

There can hardly be an Irish person, certainly not an Irish Catholic, whose perception of the institution of the Catholic Church has not been shaped by the child sexual abuse scandals and all of the shabby, criminal efforts made to cover them up.

For some the impact was, and remains, so profound that though they still cherish the principles of Catholicism, they no longer celebrate those beliefs through the edifice of the Church. For others, the breach of trust was even more profound and they no longer regard themselves as Catholic. Some of those who never considered themselves Catholic looked on appalled and could not understand how such a predatory evil could persist in a society so, nominally at least, committed to the welfare of children.

That unfortunate hypocrisy is underlined too by the aggressive, uncompromising position taken by some of the more conservative members of the Catholic Church in the abortion debate.