Roman Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Scandal In Ireland on:  
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From the late 1980s, allegations of
sexual abuse of children
Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child (whethe ...
associated with Catholic institutions and clerics in several countries started to be the subject of
sporadic, isolated reports. In
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, beginning in the 1990s, a series of criminal cases and Irish government enquiries established that hundreds of priests had abused thousands of children over decades. Six reports by the former National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church established that six Irish priests had been convicted between 1975 and 2011. This has contributed to the
secularisation of Ireland and to the decline in influence of the Catholic Church. Ireland held referendums to legalise
same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...
in 2015
and
abortion rights
Abortion-rights movements, also referred to as pro-choice movements, advocate for the right to have legal access to induced abortion services including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their pre ...
in 2018.
Like the
Catholic Church sex abuse cases in the United States
There have been many lawsuits, criminal prosecutions, and scandals over sexual abuse by Roman Catholic clergy in the United States of America.
The issue of child sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests was first publicized in 1985 when a Louisi ...
and elsewhere, the abuse in Ireland included cases of high-profile,
supposedly celibate Catholic clerics involved in illicit heterosexual relations as well as widespread
physical abuse
Physical abuse is any intentional act causing injury or trauma to another person or animal by way of bodily contact. In most cases, children are the victims of physical abuse, but adults can also be victims, as in cases of domestic violence or wo ...
of children in the Catholic-run childcare network. In many cases, the abusing priests were moved to other parishes to avoid embarrassment or a scandal, assisted by senior clergy. By 2010 a number of in-depth judicial reports had been published, but with only a limited number of criminal convictions.
In March 2010,
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...
wrote a pastoral letter of apology for all of the abuse that had been carried out by Catholic clergy in Ireland.
On 31 May 2010, Benedict established a formal panel to investigate the sex abuse scandal, saying that it could serve as a healing mechanism for the country and its Catholics. Among the nine members of the
apostolic visitation
In the Catholic Church, a canonical visitation is the act of an ecclesiastical superior who in the discharge of his office visits persons or places with a view to maintaining faith and discipline and of correcting abuses. A person delegated to ca ...
were Cardinal
Seán Patrick O'Malley
Seán Patrick O'Malley (born June 29, 1944) is an American cardinal of the Catholic Church serving as the archbishop of Boston. He is a member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin and was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 2006.
Since its ...
, the Archbishop of Boston (he investigated the
Archdiocese of Dublin
The Archbishop of Dublin is an archepiscopal title which takes its name after Dublin, Ireland. Since the Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic successions to the title: one in the Catholic Church and the other in the Church of Irelan ...
); Cardinal
Timothy Michael Dolan
Timothy Michael Dolan (born February 6, 1950) is an American cardinal of the Catholic Church. He is the tenth and current Archbishop of New York, having been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.
Dolan served as the president of the United S ...
, the Archbishop of New York (he investigated the issue of proper priestly formation and visited the seminaries); two nuns (who investigated women's
religious institute
A religious institute is a type of institute of consecrated life in the Catholic Church whose members take religious vows and lead a life in community with fellow members. Religious institutes are one of the two types of institutes of consecrate ...
s and the formation there), Cardinal
Cormac Murphy-O'Connor
Cormac Murphy-O'Connor (24 August 1932 – 1 September 2017) was a British cardinal, the Archbishop of Westminster and president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. He was made cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2001. He sub ...
, the Archbishop Emeritus of Westminster, England; Archbishop
Terrence Thomas Prendergast
Terrence Thomas Prendergast (born 19 February 1944) is a Canadian member of the Society of Jesus who is also a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church and the Archbishop Emeritus of Ottawa-Cornwall. He was formerly an Auxiliary Bishop of the Ar ...
of Ottawa, Canada; and Cardinal-Archbishop
Thomas Christopher Collins
Thomas Christopher Collins (born January 16, 1947) is a Canadian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He has been the Archbishop of Toronto since 2007. He was previously Bishop of Saint Paul in Alberta from 1997 to 1999 and Archbishop of Edmo ...
of Toronto, Canada. In August 2018, a list was published revealing that over 1,300 Catholics in Ireland were accused of sexual abuse and 82 of them were convicted.
Early revelations of sexual misconduct
The accepted norm in the Irish Church was that its priesthood was celibate and
chaste
Chaste refers to practicing chastity.
Chaste may also refer to:
* Aymar Chaste (1514–1603), Catholic French admiral
* Chaste (Marvel Comics), a fictional Marvel Comics martial arts enclave
* Chaste (canton) - see List of townships in Quebec
T ...
, and homosexuality was both a sin and a crime. The Church forbade its members (the "
faithful") to use artificial
contraception
Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...
, campaigned strongly against laws allowing abortion and divorce, and publicly disapproved of unmarried
cohabiting
Cohabitation is an arrangement where people who are not married, usually couples, live together. They are often involved in a romantic or sexually intimate relationship on a long-term or permanent basis. Such arrangements have become increas ...
couples and
illegitimacy
Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as '' ...
. Therefore, it came as a considerable surprise when the Irish media started to report allegations of lapses in these aspects of the priesthood itself. The Church's high stated standards had also led on in part to the
Ann Lovett
Ann Rose Lovett (6 April 1968 – 31 January 1984) was a 15-year-old schoolgirl from Granard, County Longford, Ireland who died giving birth beside a grotto on 31 January 1984. tragedy and the
Kerry Babies case
The Kerry Babies case () was a 1984 investigation by the Garda Síochána in County Kerry, Ireland, into the killing of one newborn baby and the alleged killing of another. The mother who concealed the second baby, Joanne Hayes, was arrested a ...
in 1984.
A series of television documentaries in the 1990s and 2000s, such as "Suffer the children" (
UTV, 1994), ''
Suing the Pope'' or ''
The Magdalene Sisters
''The Magdalene Sisters'' is a 2002 drama film written and directed by Peter Mullan, about three teenage girls who were sent to Magdalene asylums (also known as 'Magdalene Laundries') homes for women who were labelled as "fallen" by their familie ...
'', led on to the need for a series of government-sponsored reports and new guidelines within the Church and society to better protect children. In 1995–2002 the emergence of the same problem in the USA led to the view that the Church had attempted to
cover up
A cover-up is an attempt, whether successful or not, to :wikt:conceal, conceal evidence of wrongdoing, error, incompetence, or other embarrassment, embarrassing information. Research has distinguished personal cover-ups (covering up one's own ...
abuse and misconduct, and was not limited to sexual abuse (see
Catholic sex abuse cases in the United States
There have been many lawsuits, criminal prosecutions, and scandals over sexual abuse by Roman Catholic clergy in the United States of America.
The issue of child sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests was first publicized in 1985 when a Louisia ...
). By the late 2000s the misconduct was recognised as a
worldwide scandal.
Micheál Ledwith
In 1984, a group of seminarians in the 'senior division' of
St Patrick's Seminary, Maynooth, expressed their concerns to the senior dean regarding the inappropriate behaviour of Micheál Ledwith, then vice-president of the college, towards younger students. Ledwith was promoted to President of St Patrick's Seminary despite the allegations. He subsequently resigned as president in 1994 when allegations of
sexual abuse
Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...
resurfaced.
In June 2002, the bishops commissioned
Denis McCullough
Denis McCullough (24 January 1883 – 11 September 1968) was a prominent Irish nationalist political activist in the early 20th century, who served as President of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) from 1915 to 1916.
Early career – IRB ...
to investigate allegations reported in ''
The Irish Times
''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'' that the bishops had not responded adequately to complaints of
sexual harassment
Sexual harassment is a type of harassment involving the use of explicit or implicit sexual overtones, including the unwelcome and inappropriate promises of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions fro ...
of seminarians at Maynooth College in the early 1980s. McCullough's report, published on 16 June 2005, found that, while the seminarians had not complained directly to the bishops regarding Ledwith's alleged sexual abuse, "concerns of apparent propensities rather than accusations of actual crime or specific offences" had been communicated to the bishops by the senior dean of the college. McCullough concluded "that to have rejected the senior dean's concerns so completely and so abruptly without any adequate investigation may have been too precipitate, although, of course, to investigate, in any very full or substantial manner, a generic complaint regarding a person's apparent propensities would have been difficult".
Brendan Smyth
One of the most widely known cases of sexual abuse in Ireland involved
Brendan Smyth, who, between 1945 and 1989, sexually abused and
assaulted
An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in crim ...
20 children in parishes in
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
, Dublin and the United States. The investigation of the Smyth case was allegedly
obstructed by the
Norbertine Order
The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...
. He was arrested in 1995; however, Ireland's Attorney General did not immediately comply with a request from the
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC)Richard Doherty, ''The Thin Green Line – The History of the Royal ...
for Smyth's
extradition
Extradition is an action wherein one jurisdiction delivers a person accused or convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, over to the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforcement procedure between the two jurisdict ...
. The ensuing controversy over the delay led to the collapse of the
Fianna Fáil/Labour coalition government.
[Escholarship.bc.edu](_blank)
As of early May 2012
Cardinal Seán Brady was under pressure to resign because as a part of a church investigation into Smyth he only reported the information he gleaned to church authorities and not to the police. The church's subsequent failure to deal with Smyth gave him the opportunity to abuse more children. Brady only resigned when required to do so by canon law upon turning 75 in September 2014.
Abuse in the state childcare system
In the 1990s, a series of television programs publicised allegations of systemic abuse in Ireland's Roman Catholic-run childcare system, primarily in the Reformatory and Industrial Schools. The abuse occurred primarily between the 1930s and 1970s. These documentaries included "Dear Daughter", "Washing Away the Stain" and "Witness: Sex in a Cold Climate and Sinners".
These programs interviewed adult victims of abuse who provided "testimony of their experiences, they documented Church and State collusion in the operation of these institutions, and they underscored the climate of secrecy and denial that permeated the church response when faced with controversial accusations." The topic was also covered by American broadcast media. Programs such as
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
's ''
60 Minutes
''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique styl ...
'' and
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
's ''
20/20
Visual acuity (VA) commonly refers to the clarity of vision, but technically rates an examinee's ability to recognize small details with precision. Visual acuity is dependent on optical and neural factors, i.e. (1) the sharpness of the retinal ...
'' produced segments on the subject for an Irish-American audience.
In 1999, a documentary film series titled ''
States of Fear'' detailed abuse suffered by Irish children between the 1930s and 1970s in the state childcare system, primarily in the Reformatory and Industrial Schools.
Response of the Irish government to the scandal
In response to the furore aroused by the media reports, the Irish government commissioned a study which took nine years to complete. On 20 May 2009, the commission released its 2600-page report, which drew on testimony from thousands of former inmates and officials from more than 250 church-run institutions. The commission found that Catholic priests and nuns had terrorised thousands of boys and girls for decades and that government inspectors had failed to stop the chronic beatings, rapes and humiliation. The report characterised rape and
molestation
Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assau ...
as "endemic" in Irish Catholic church-run Industrial Schools and orphanages.
Response of the Church to the scandals
In February 2002, 18
religious institute
A religious institute is a type of institute of consecrated life in the Catholic Church whose members take religious vows and lead a life in community with fellow members. Religious institutes are one of the two types of institutes of consecrate ...
s agreed to provide more than €128 million in compensation to the victims of
child abuse
Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical, sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to a ...
.
In 2005 the Church published an
Instruction Concerning the Criteria for the Discernment of Vocations with regard to Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in view of their Admission to the Seminary and to Holy Orders.
In 2006 the Church set up the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland (NBSC) to suggest ways to safeguard children and improve policy, and to monitor practices and observance of policy. In 2008 the
Health Service Executive
The Health Service Executive (HSE) ( ga, Feidhmeannacht na Seirbhíse Sláinte) is the publicly funded healthcare system in Ireland, responsible for the provision of health and personal social services. It came into operation on 1 January 2005 ...
had required a child safety audit which the Bishops felt unable to co-operate with for legal reasons, and in 2009 they asked the NBSC to perform this role. In its report of 2010–March 2011 the NBSC complained that it had also been denied the same information, also for legal reasons, and that Church funding for its training programmes in child protection had ended in 2009. The 2010–11 report listed 272 new allegations of abuse, mainly "of a historical nature", up from 197 allegations in its 2009–10 report.
Brendan Comiskey
In March 2002, a
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
documentary, titled ''Suing the Pope'', highlighted the case of
Seán Fortune, one of the most notorious clerical
sex offender
A sex offender (sexual offender, sex abuser, or sexual abuser) is a person who has committed a sex crime. What constitutes a sex crime differs by culture and legal jurisdiction. The majority of convicted sex offenders have convictions for crime ...
s. The film followed Colm O'Gorman as he investigated the story of how Fortune was allowed to abuse him and countless other teenage boys. The Church's practice of
parish transfers of abusive priests
The parish transfers of abusive Catholic priests, also known as priest shuffling, is a pastoral practice that has greatly contributed to the aggravation of Catholic Church sexual abuse cases. Some bishops have been heavily criticized for moving ...
allowed Fortune to be transferred to other parishes without notifying them about any former abuse allegations.
On 1 April 2002,
Brendan Comiskey
Brendan Comiskey (born August 13, 1935), is the Roman Catholic Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Ferns. He was born in Clontibret, County Monaghan, Ireland.
He was ordained a priest of the little known Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus ...
, Bishop of
Ferns
A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except th ...
, resigned over charges that he had failed to deal adequately with allegations that Fortune and others were
sexually abusing children.
Desmond Connell
In October 2002, Ireland's national broadcasting station,
Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidi (; ; also written Ragdi; born August, 1938) is a Tibetan politician of the People's Republic of China. He served as a vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress from 2003 to 2008, and the highest ranking Tibeta ...
, or RTE, aired a television documentary titled ''Primetime: Cardinal Secrets'' which charged Dublin's Cardinal Desmond Connell with mishandling the sex abuse scandal and accusing him of participating in a deliberate cover-up of facts.
Connell retired as archbishop on 26 April 2004.
The
Murphy Report
The Murphy Report is the brief name of the report of a Commission of investigation conducted by the Irish government into the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Dublin. It was released in 2009 by Judge Yvonne Murphy, only a few ...
found that Connell had handled the affair "badly" as he was "slow to recognise the seriousness of the situation".
It did praise him for making the archdiocesan records available to the authorities in 2002 and for his 1995 actions in giving the authorities the names of 17 priests who had been accused of abuse, although it said the list was incomplete as complaints were made against at least 28 priests in the Archdiocese.
He was criticised for being "economical with the truth" in his use of the concept of
mental reservation
Mental reservation (or mental equivocation) is an ethical theory and a doctrine in moral theology that recognizes the "lie of necessity", and holds that when there is a conflict between justice and veracity, it is justice that should prevail. The ...
to inadequately answer questions truthfully about his knowledge of the abusive activities of priests under his control.
Ferns Report
The Ferns Inquiry (2005) was an official Irish government inquiry into the allegations of clerical sexual abuse in the Irish
Roman Catholic Diocese of Ferns
The Diocese of Ferns ( ga, Deoise Fhearna) is a Roman Catholic diocese in south-eastern Ireland. It is one of three suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin and is subject to the Archdiocese of Dublin.[ ...]
. The investigation was established in the wake of the broadcast of the BBC Television documentary "Suing the Pope". O'Gorman, through
One in Four
''One in Four'' is a compilation album released by the mental health charity The Scottish Association for Mental Health in 2004. It compiles 14 exclusive and previously unheard tracks recorded by artists who had previously been involved in events r ...
, the organisation he founded to support women and men who have experienced sexual violence, successfully campaigned for the Ferns Inquiry.
The Ferns Inquiry recorded its revulsion at the extent, severity and duration of the child sexual abuse allegedly perpetrated on children by priests acting under the aegis of the Diocese of Ferns.
Irish Child Abuse Commission 2009
A lengthy report detailing cases of emotional, physical and
sexual abuse
Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...
of thousands of children over 70 years was published on 20 May 2009. The report drew on the testimony of nearly 2,000 witnesses, men and women who attended more than 200 Catholic-run schools from the 1930s until the 1990s.
As per 2002 agreement between the victims on one side and the Roman Catholic brothers and Irish government on other side, all those who accepted the state/Brothers settlements had to waive their right to sue both the church and the government. Their abusers' identities are also kept secret.
Response of government
Ireland's national police force announced that they would study the report to see if it provided any new evidence for prosecuting clerics for assault, rape or other criminal offences. The report, however, did not identify any abusers by name because of a right-to-privacy lawsuit by the Christian Brothers.
Shamed by the extent, length, and cruelty of child abuse, Ireland's former Prime Minister
Brian Cowen
Brian Bernard Cowen (born 10 January 1960) is an Irish former politician who served as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil from 2008 to 2011.
Cowen was elected to Dáil Éireann in 1984, for the constituency of Laois–Offaly and served in a ...
apologised to victims for the government's failure to intervene in endemic sexual abuse and severe beatings in schools for much of the 20th century. He also promised to reform the Ireland's social services for children in line with the recommendations of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse report. Further motions to start criminal investigation against members of Roman Catholic religious institutes in Ireland were made by Irish President
Mary McAleese
Mary Patricia McAleese ( ; ga, Máire Pádraigín Mhic Ghiolla Íosa; ; born 27 June 1951) is an Irish activist lawyer and former politician who served as the eighth president of Ireland from November 1997 to November 2011. She is an academic ...
and Prime Minister Cowen
Response of the bishops
The highest-ranked official of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland, Dublin Archbishop
Diarmuid Martin slammed Irish Catholic orders for concealing their culpability in decades of child abuse, and said they needed to come up with much more money to compensate victims.
At the conclusion of its summer meeting, the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference said that the abuse of children in institutions run by Catholic priests and nuns was part of a culture that was prevalent in the Catholic Church in Ireland. The bishops spent a major portion of their 8–10 June meeting discussing a report from the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, published 20 May under chairman Sean Ryan. The commission found that church institutions failed to prevent an extensive level of sexual, physical and
emotional abuse
Emotions are mental states brought on by neurophysiological changes, variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavioral responses, and a degree of pleasure or displeasure. There is currently no scientific consensus on a definition. E ...
and neglect.
In a joint statement, the bishops said that, "the Ryan report represents the most recent disturbing indictment of a culture that was prevalent in the Catholic Church in Ireland for far too long. Heinous crimes were perpetrated against the most innocent and vulnerable, and vile acts with life-lasting effects were carried out under the guise of the mission of Jesus Christ. This abuse represents a serious betrayal of the trust which was placed in the church."
Cardinal
Seán Brady expressed remorse on behalf of the church and the religious saying "we are ashamed, humbled and repentant that our people strayed so far from their Christian ideals, for this we ask forgiveness." The abuses were the result of "a culture that was prevalent in the Catholic Church in Ireland for far too long", said Brady.
The bishops offered four immediate responses to address the issues raised in the report:
* Sadness over the "suffering of so many for so long."
* An invitation to survivors to "engage with us" in an effort to understand how to assist the victims of abuse.
* The intention to respond as pastors "despite the inadequacies at times of our previous pastoral responses."
* Praying for the "well being and peace of mind for all who suffered" and urging all Catholics to join them in prayer.
Response by religious institutes
In 2011, abbot of
Glenstal Abbey and
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
monk
Dom Dom or DOM may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Dom (given name), including fictional characters
* Dom (surname)
* Dom La Nena (born 1989), stage name of Brazilian-born cellist, singer and songwriter Dominique Pinto
* Dom people, an et ...
Mark
Patrick Hederman
Don Mark Patrick Hederman, OSB, former Abbot of Glenstal Abbey, County Limerick, Ireland, is a Benedictine monk, teacher, lecturer and writer. Formerly headmaster of the school at Glenstal, he was later named academic dean.
Biography
Hederman c ...
, OSB, was quoted by novelist and writer
Russell Shorto
Russell Anthony Shorto (born February 8, 1959) is an American author, historian, and journalist who is best known for his book on the Dutch origins of New York City, '' The Island at the Center of the World''. Shorto's research for the book rel ...
speaking about the Church making "this island
reland
Adriaan Reland (also known as ''Adriaen Reeland/Reelant'', ''Hadrianus Relandus'') (17 July 1676, De Rijp, North Holland5 February 1718, UtrechtJohn Gorton, ''A General Biographical Dictionary'', 1838, Whittaker & Co.) was a noted Dutch Orientali ...
into a concentration camp where
he Church
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
could control everything. ... And the control was really all about sex. ... It's not difficult to understand how the whole system became riddled with what we now call a scandal but in fact was a complete culture."
Tony Walsh
In December 2010, Archdiocese of Dublin "singing priest"
Tony Walsh was sentenced to 123 years in prison for 14 child abuse convictions involving sex-related offences dating from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s.
However, the sentences were to be served concurrently, netting to a maximum of 16 years.
By the time he pleaded guilty in December 2018 to indecently assaulting a teenage boy with a crucifix on a date in 1983, Walsh had already been in prison for 13 years.
Summary of diocesan sexual abuse inquiries
Archdiocese of Armagh
*Fr. Andrew Allen pleaded guilty in 1993 to molesting two boys in Trinidad and Tobago between 1981 and 1985 and was given a two-year suspended prison sentence and a £150,000 fine.
[ Copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.] The same year, he was also convicted of molesting an altar boy in Drogheda between 1991 and 1992 and was given a one-year prison sentence.
*
Br. Francis Patrick Mallon was sentenced in May 1994 to three months in prison for abusing three girls on the grounds of the Servite Priory at Benburb, Co Tyrone.
*Fr. Michael Gerard McQuillan was convicted in 2004 of 40 counts of sexual abuse involving five children, four boys and a girl who was the sister of one of the boys.
McQuillan met the children when he was the chaplain at a school in County Armagh.
He was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Diocese of Connor and Down
*Fr. Daniel Curran received a seven-year jail sentence in 1995 after admitting sex offences on nine young boys;
given an 18-month suspended sentence in 2005 for indecently assaulting a 10th boy in the 1980s;
in 2006 he received a 14-month sentence after pleading guilty to five counts of indecent assault on a boy between 1977 and 1982.
*Fr. Joseph M. Steele pleaded guilty in 1996 to multiple charges involving the indecent assaults of three girls and two boys between 1969 and 1983 and served two and a half years in prison.
He pleaded guilty to five counts of indecent assault and two of gross indecency against a boy and three counts of indecently assaulting a female victim between 1967 and 1983. He died in 2012 while awaiting his sentence for these other convictions
Archdiocese of Dublin
Fr.
Paul McGennis abused Marie Collins when she was in Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in 1961, when she was 13. In November 2009, an independent report commissioned by the Irish government investigated the way in which the church dealt with allegations of sexual abuse of children by priests over the period 1975 to 2004. It concluded that "the Dublin Archdiocese's pre-occupations in dealing with cases of child sexual abuse, at least until the mid-1990s, were the maintenance of secrecy, the avoidance of scandal, the protection of the reputation of the Church, and the preservation of its assets. All other considerations, including the welfare of children and justice for victims, were subordinated to these priorities. The Archdiocese did not implement its own canon law rules and did its best to avoid any application of the law of the State."
Diocese of Ferns
Archdiocese of Tuam
Fr. Joseph Summerville pleaded guilty in 1996 to four of the 15 charges against him. He admitted indecently assaulting an adolescent boy during the years 1988 and 1989, while he was a boarding school chaplain at St. Jarlath's College, Tuam and was given a four-year prison sentence.
A judge later imposed an additional one-year sentence after learning the details of his grooming another victim, a 15-year-old boy, in a parochial house.
Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora diocese
An eight-year (1999–2007) enquiry and report by Dr. Elizabeth Healy and Dr. Kevin McCoy into the
Brothers of Charity
The Brothers of Charity are an international religious institute of Religious Brothers and associate members at the service of the people most in need in the field of education and health care. The institute was founded in 1807 by Peter Joseph Tr ...
Congregation's "
Holy Family
The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. The subject became popular in art from the 1490s on, but veneration of the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Saint François de Laval, the fir ...
School" in
Galway
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
, the major city of the archdiocese, and two other locations was made public in December 2007. Eleven brothers and seven other staff members were alleged to have abused 121
intellectually disabled
Intellectual disability (ID), also known as general learning disability in the United Kingdom and formerly mental retardation, Rosa's Law, Pub. L. 111-256124 Stat. 2643(2010). is a generalized neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by signifi ...
children in residential care in the period 1965–1998.
A review that was published on 30 November 2011, into the handling of clerical child sex abuse allegations in the Diocese of Tuam has praised Archbishop Neary for his actions. The report said serious harm was done to children by a few priests of the archdiocese but Dr Neary met allegations "with a steadily serious approach, taking appropriate action under existing guidelines, and rapidly assimilating the lesson of the necessity for the removal of the priest, where there is a credible allegation, pending investigation." The report said it is clear from the "excellent records" that a genuine effort was made to gather evidence from victims and their families during the Church inquiry stage and such "thoroughness is to be commended". The report added that "It is also a fair reflection to say that the archbishop has met resistance in asking a priest to step aside from public ministry. It is to his credit that in spite of opposition, Archbishop Neary has maintained his authority and kept some men out of ministry where there is evidence to suggest that they should be viewed as dangerous and should not have access to young people." Neary said "This is an enormous tribute to all working in this area. It is very encouraging to see that their work has been recognised, affirmed and appreciated in the report."
Diocese of Cloyne
In 2008, bishop
John Magee found himself at the centre of a controversy surrounding his mishandling of child sex abuse cases in the diocese of Cloyne. On 7 March 2009
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...
appointed Archbishop
Dermot Clifford
Dermot Clifford, (born 25 January 1939), was the Catholic Archbishop of Cashel and Emly in Ireland from 1988 to 2014. From 7 March 2009 to 27 January 2013, he also served as the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Cloyne. He was a foundi ...
of
Cashel and Emly as
apostolic administrator
An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...
of the Cloyne diocese, though Magee remains Bishop in title.
["Bishop Magee steps aside over Cloyne controversy"](_blank)
, Eoin Burke-Kennedy, ''The Irish Times
''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'', 7 March 2009, retrieved 9 March 2009 Magee requested that the Pope take this action on 4 February. Magee said that he would use the time to "devote the necessary time and energy to cooperating fully with the government Commission of Inquiry into child protection practices and procedures in the diocese of Cloyne".
On 24 March 2010 it was announced by the Holy See that Bishop Magee had formally resigned from his duties as Bishop of Cloyne and was now bishop emeritus. A report by a judicial inquiry into diocesan reporting and oversight of alleged abusers was published in July 2011.
Diocese of Raphoe
Prior to being appointed
Bishop of Derry
The Bishop of Derry is an Episcopal polity, episcopal title which takes its name after the monastic settlement originally founded at Daire Calgach and later known as Daire Colm Cille, Anglicised as Derry. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a ...
, where he served between 1994 and 2011,
Séamus Hegarty
Séamus Hegarty, D.D. (26 January 1940 – 20 September 2019) was an Irish Catholic prelate. He served as Bishop of Raphoe from 1982 to 1994, then as Bishop of Derry from 1994 to 2011.
Early life and ministry
Hegarty was born in Kilcar, County ...
was Bishop of the
Diocese of Raphoe in 1982–1994, at a time when one of his priests, Father
Eugene Greene, raped 26 young men. Hegarty's replacement
Bishop Boyce, and the Irish hierarchy, criticised a 2011 media article that claimed that "There were hundreds and hundreds of victims, and they were abused again and again while the church actively prevented investigations by the civil authorities". Greene was later arrested in 1999 and sentenced the next year to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to 40 of the 115 charges he was facing. He was released from prison in 2008 after serving 9 years of his sentence.
Between January and November 2011, four Diocese of Raphoe priests who were accused of committing sex abuse were convicted.
Diocese of Limerick
Diocese of Ossory
Since 1975, a total of 27 allegations of abuse have been made against 14 priests in the
Diocese of Ossory
The Bishop of Ossory () is an episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient of Kingdom of Ossory in the Province of Leinster, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been ...
. All of these allegations were eventually reported to the Gardaí and the HSE. The Diocese of Ossory has paid €370,000 in compensation to the victims of child sexual abuse.
In 1994, a sexually abusive priest was brought to the attention of then Bishop of Ossory
Laurence Forristal
Laurence Forristal (5 June 1931 – 10 October 2018) was an Irish Roman Catholic prelate, who served as the Bishop of Ossory from 1981 to 2007.
Early life and education
Born to William Forristal and Kathleen Forristal (née Phelan) in Thom ...
. Upon receiving legal advice, the bishop did not notify Gardaí of the abuse allegation. Instead, 11 years later in 2005 the information was passed onto authorities. The priest, upon conviction, was immediately removed from ministry.
In 1996, a still unnamed priest in Kilkenny was convicted for the abuse of two children, the "largest-ever investigation into child abuse at the time".
Abuse by religious orders
As well as the diocesan clergy, a number of Irish members of Roman Catholic religious institutes have been named in criminal prosecutions for abuse; some were tried outside Ireland. These cases amplify, but were not covered by, the
Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse
The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (CICA) was one of a range of measures introduced by the Irish Government to investigate the extent and effects of abuse on children from 1936 onwards. Commencing its work in 1999, it was commonly known ...
findings (see above).
Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland
In May 2020, it was revealed that prior to the 2004 merger with the
Scout Association of Ireland
The Scout Association of Ireland (SAI; ga, Cumann Gasógaíochta na hÉireann) was an Irish multi-denominational Scout association from 1908 until 2004, when it merged with the former Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland to form Scouting Ireland. It ...
(SAI) which formed
Scouting Ireland
Scouting Ireland ( ga, Gasóga na hÉireann) is one of the largest youth movements on the island of Ireland, a voluntary educational movement for young people with over 45,000 members, including over 11,000 adult volunteers . Of the 750,000 peo ...
, the
Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland
The Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland (CBSI; ga, Gasóga Caitliceacha na hÉireann) was an Irish Catholic Scouting organisation active from 1927 until 2004, when it formed Scouting Ireland by merging with the former Scout Association of Ireland ...
(CBSI) covered up sex abuse committed by people who served in the organization.
In a period spanning decades, both the CBSI and SAI shielded 275 known or suspected predators who abused children after becoming aware of the reported acts of abuse.
Scouting Ireland backed the findings of the report and issued an apology.
Other cases
As well the reports, many other victims of clerical abuse came forward with their own stories; including actor
Gabriel Byrne
Gabriel James Byrne (born 12 May 1950) is an Irish actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, audiobook narrator, and author. His acting career began in the Focus Theatre before he joined London's Royal Court Theatre in 1979. Byrne's s ...
and Derry Morgan. In each case the victim was told to keep quiet, and the priest involved was usually admired by the victim's family; this made it difficult for victims to speak out, adding long-term psychological injury to the abuse itself.
In 2010 Fr. Patrick Hughes was convicted on four counts of indecent assault.
["Former priest who sexually abused boy jailed for one year"](_blank)
, ''The Irish Times
''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'', 3 February 2010, retrieved 4 February 2010 Detective Sergeant Joseph McLoughlin said that the
Garda Síochána
(; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace"), more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards", is the national police service of Ireland. The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Gover ...
were "getting the run-around from church authorities".
Investigations continue where Irish abusers were sent abroad by the church to other countries, where they abused other children.
The spectacular conviction of
Nora Wall
Nora Wall (formerly Sister Dominic) (born 1948) is a former Irish people, Irish Religious sisters, sister of the Sisters of Mercy who was wrongfully convicted of rape in June 1999, and served four days of a life sentence in July 1999, before her ...
was found to be based on evidence from unreliable witnesses who admitted to lying.
Alleged abuses by Irish missionary priests
On 23 May 2011
RTÉ
(RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...
broadcast ''A Mission to Prey'', concerning alleged abuses by
missionary
A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...
priests against young people in Africa. It has since emerged that one of the allegations against
Fr. Kevin Reynolds, fathering a child, was baseless, and this has caused a political scandal in Ireland since the national television network aired the allegations without arranging a
DNA test
Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...
.
[Irish TV Network Defames Innocent Priest, Issues Apology](_blank)
, ''The Media Report'', November 2011, accessed 23 November 2011.[Republic's government order probe into RTE Fr Reynolds libel case](_blank)
, ''BBC News'', 23 November 2011.
At the time of the May broadcast, the Irish Missionary Union, representing 83 missionary groups, issued a statement deploring "any crimes of abuse or inappropriate behaviour at home or abroad, which led to children or vulnerable adults being abused", but did not say when it would investigate any of the allegations. Instead it called on the
Gardaí to investigate, a process that could be slow and expensive. The Irish Missionary Union, along with the
Conference of Religious of Ireland The Conference of Religious of Ireland (CORI), is an umbrella organisation for religious institutes active in the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland. It has 138 member congregations, with a combined membership of over 9,000. It is organised in both ...
and the Irish bishops, followed legal advice to refuse information to the National Board for Safeguarding Children (see above), even though it is one of the Board's sponsoring bodies.
Alan Shatter
Alan Joseph Shatter (born 14 February 1951) is an Irish lawyer, author and former Fine Gael politician who served as Minister for Justice and Equality and Minister for Defence from 2011 to 2014. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Sou ...
, the Irish
Minister for Justice and Equality, commented about the RTÉ programme that he had "a sense of revulsion at the unspeakable catalogue of abuse against children. While the behaviour took place abroad, we have a solemn duty to do all that is within our power to ensure that perpetrators of this predatory abuse of children are brought to justice wherever it takes place." Irish criminal law allows for the prosecution in Ireland of sex offences committed abroad under the 1996 Sexual Offences (Jurisdiction) Act.
The program wrongly made allegations against Fr. Kevin Reynolds, who received an apology and "massive damages".
Richard Anthony Burke
Richard Anthony Burke (born 19 February 1949) was a prelate in the Roman Catholic Church.
Born in Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland, he was ordained a priest on 18 May 1975 for St. Patrick's Society for the Foreign Missions. He was appointed t ...
was accused in the same program of underage sex in Nigeria. He sued RTÉ for libel in 2015, claiming he and the accuser had only had adult consensual sex. RTÉ settled out of court, claiming to have paid part of Burke's costs but no damages.
Pastoral letter from Pope Benedict XVI
After the pressure gathered from the Ryan and Murphy Reports and the resignation of bishops,
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...
summoned all of the Irish Bishops to the
Vatican
Vatican may refer to:
Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum
The Holy See
* The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...
in January 2010.
Following their meeting, it was announced that a
pastoral letter
A pastoral letter, often simply called a pastoral, is an open letter addressed by a bishop to the clergy or laity of a diocese or to both, containing general admonition, instruction or consolation, or directions for behaviour in particular circumst ...
would be written to address the issues involving the sexual abuse of children.
The letter was released by the Vatican on 20 March 2010. In the letter addressed to the Catholics of Ireland, the Pope said he was "truly sorry" for the harm done to Catholics who suffered "sinful and criminal" abuse at the hands of priests, brothers and nuns.
He acknowledged the "serious mistakes" made by the clergy.
The letter did not ask for the resignation of the Cardinal Primate of All Ireland,
Seán Brady, and did not address the Ryan and Murphy reports. The letter was to be read out at Mass on 21 March 2010.
Reaction to the contents of the letter was mixed. The letter was well received by Cardinal Brady, Archbishop of Dublin
Diarmuid Martin and the
Conference of Religious of Ireland The Conference of Religious of Ireland (CORI), is an umbrella organisation for religious institutes active in the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland. It has 138 member congregations, with a combined membership of over 9,000. It is organised in both ...
(CORI). Survivors of Child Abuse coordinator John Kelly said in a statement, "This letter is a possible step to closure and we owe it to ourselves to study it and to give it a measured response. We are heartened by the Pontiff's open acceptance that the abusive behavior of priests and religious were criminal acts." Others did not think the letter went "far enough".
One victim of abuse, Andrew Madden, called upon the Pope to resign.
One in Four, a group representing victims of sexual abuse, said that they were "deeply disappointed" with the letter.
False allegations
Not all allegations made against priests have turned out to be true. Fr. Liam O'Brien, parish priest at Currow, in Killarney, County Kerry, was subjected to claims of sexual abuse for more than four years starting in December 2008. In May 2013, his accuser, Eileen Culloty, a woman in his parish who had stalked and harassed the priest, even disrupting a funeral service he was conducting in 2011, apologised unreservedly in a letter read to the High Court. The woman admitted fabricating the allegations and said O'Brien was a person of the utmost integrity.
List of accused clergy
In August 2018, a list was released revealing that of the over 1,300 Irish clergy who were accused, only 82 were convicted.
See also
; Sexual abuse cases in Catholic church
*
Catholic Church sexual abuse cases
There have been many cases of sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests, nuns, Popes and other members of religious life. In the 20th and 21st centuries, the cases have involved many allegations, investigations, trials, convictions, ac ...
*
Catholic Church sexual abuse cases by country
This page documents Catholic Church sexual abuse cases by country.
Catholic sexual abuse cases in Europe have been documented by cases in several dioceses in European nations. Investigation and widespread reporting of sexual abuse scandals were c ...
*
Sexual abuse cases in the Catholic archdiocese of Dublin
The sexual abuse cases in Dublin archdiocese are major chapters in the series of Catholic Church sexual abuse cases in Ireland. The Irish government commissioned a statutory enquiry in 2006 that published the Murphy Report in November 2009.
Ha ...
*
William Kamm, leader of schismatic Catholic group convicted for sexual abuse
; Critique & consequences related topics
*
Criticism of Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II was criticised for, amongst other things, an alleged lack of response to child sex abuse in the Catholic Church.
Child sex abuse scandals
John Paul II was criticised by members of the abuse victims' group Survivors Network of ...
*
Debate on the causes of clerical child abuse
The debate on the causes of clerical child abuse is a major aspect of the academic literature surrounding Catholic sex abuse cases.
Moral relativism
In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI published a letter (in German and then translated into English) in wh ...
*
Ecclesiastical response to Catholic sexual abuse cases
*
Instruction Concerning the Criteria for the Discernment of Vocations with Regard to Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in View of Their Admission to the Seminary and to Holy Orders
*
Media coverage of Catholic sex abuse cases The media coverage of Catholic sex abuse cases is a major aspect of the academic literature surrounding the pederastic priest scandal.
Extent of media coverage
According to a study conducted jointly by the Project for Excellence in Journalism and ...
*
Settlements and bankruptcies in Catholic sex abuse cases
Settlements and bankruptcies in Catholic sex abuse cases have affected several American dioceses, whose compensation payments have totaled in the billions of dollars.
Estimates by Donald Cozzens
According to Donald Cozzens, "by the end of the mi ...
* ''
Sex Crimes and the Vatican
''Sex Crimes and the Vatican'' (2006) is a documentary film (39 min) presented by the BBC program ''Panorama''. It aired on 1 October 2006.
Allegations
''Sex Crimes and the Vatican'' was filmed for the BBC's '' Panorama'' documentary series. It ...
'', BBC documentary
; Investigation, prevention and victim support related topics
*
Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors
The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors ( it, Pontificia Commissione per la Tutela dei Minori) is a pontifical commission within the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church instituted by Pope Francis on 22 March 2014 as an advisory age ...
*
Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity
''Sexual Health and Compulsivity'' is a peer-reviewed, academic journal. This journal is a key source for providing practicing clinicians useful and innovative strategies for intervention and treatment of sexual behaviors which includes problem ...
, peer-reviewed journal on prevention & treatment
*
Vos estis lux mundi, church procedure for abuse cases
; Other related topics
*
Child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child (whet ...
*
Clerical celibacy
Clerical celibacy is the requirement in certain religions that some or all members of the clergy be unmarried. Clerical celibacy also requires abstention from deliberately indulging in sexual thoughts and behavior outside of marriage, because the ...
*
Homosexual clergy in the Catholic Church
*
Pontifical secret
The pontifical secret or pontifical secrecy or papal secrecy is the code of confidentiality that, in accordance with the Latin canon law of the Catholic Church as modified in 1983, applies in matters that require greater than ordinary confident ...
*
Religious abuse
Religious abuse is abuse administered under the guise of religion, including harassment or humiliation, which may result in psychological trauma. Religious abuse may also include misuse of religion for selfish, secular, or ideological ends such as ...
References
External links
Clerical child abuse, an Irish timeline The Pigeon House
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ireland
Sexual abuse scandals in Catholic orders and societies
Sexual abuse cover-ups
Violence against children
Violence against men in Europe
Violence against women in Ireland