Abuse scandal - Rationale of Church deal not explained

THE Taoiseach can be well satisfied with the generally positive response of abuse victims to his appearance at the Commission on Child Abuse.

Their reaction is a litmus test of the candour of the State’s apology in 1999 for the collective failure to protect those entrusted to its care. Thousands of vulnerable children were exposed to a shocking chapter of abuse in one of the worst scandals to best this country.

There is intense public interest in what the Taoiseach had to say on this contentious issue. It was good to hear him spell out how struck he was by “the genuine hurt and suffering” of victims abused in industrial schools.