Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)

There are no words to express the revulsion I felt on reading the Murphy report. These evil men, who visited our communities and were welcomed into our homes, were allowed to violate the trust and values that I, as a Catholic and Christian, have cherished all my life. The Murphy report highlights the abject failure of the church to have faith in its followers and to believe what they were saying was true and needed immediate attention. The litany of abuse by members of the clergy in this country, which went on for decades, was covered up by those in power who did not want to deal with allegations and reports of horrific abuse. The highest and most powerful clergymen in Ireland turned a deaf ear to the cries for help of little children who were abused by those they were taught to respect and look up to. When one examines the accounts of abuse by the 46 priests from the Archdiocese of Dublin, as detailed in the Murphy report, one learns that child protection and welfare were alien concepts and the rights of the child were not prioritised. It seems unbelievable that the church, in order to save face, focused on protecting itself and covering up the wicked crimes of child abuse by priests.

The extent of child sexual abuse that has come to light this year has shaken this country to its core. It is shocking that these evil acts were allowed to happen not once but hundreds of times. These children were not in residential care or religious institutions - they were abused in their own communities, close to their families, friends and teachers. Many vulnerable children were singled out as easy prey by priests in their parishes. Children from underprivileged backgrounds were especially targeted. Priests created circumstances in which they could be alone with children, often with the full permission of their parents, to carry out unspeakable acts of sexual abuse. These young people struggled for years to live with what had happened to them. They could not tell a soul because it was so unbelievable; instead, they suffered in silence and in fear of being punished or sent to hell. They buried their dark secrets. As they grew older, they were tormented by guilt and shame. They had been brought up to respect religious people and not to question their authority. Therefore, it took huge strength and courage for them to come forward and to trust an adult with the truth of the horror they endured. I commend all those who told their stories and helped to put a spotlight on the evil priests who took away their innocence and betrayed their trust. This shows why it is so important for one to speak out and be heard, even if one is in the minority.

Through the rite of baptism, children are welcomed into the family of God as a new creation to be cherished, loved and protected by their new family - the church. Children receive holy communion - the bread of life - so they can understand the meaning of reconciliation, forgiveness and repentance. In confirmation, they receive the gifts of wisdom, understanding, judgment, courage, knowledge, wonder and awe. They are told that these sacraments will guide and help them to grow into mature adults. For some of the bishops, priests and other religious people in the Catholic church, however, these teachings were only words. They went against the teachings that form the basis of our faith. They lacked the courage and humanity to act on the allegations that were made and to stop clerical child abuse before it destroyed more children's lives. Those in positions of power in the Catholic church were obsessed with secrecy and reputation. They played God with people's lives. They forgot they are mere servants of God on this earth and are not infallible. For decades, priests have run our parishes and schools and sat on hospital boards. Every step of the way, they assumed responsibility for our children. We trusted them completely - that was how Irish society worked. This country's greatest failing was that nobody dared to question it.

The 172 named priests and 11 unnamed priests in the Archdiocese of Dublin about whom complaints were made have demonised the many other good priests and religious people in this country. Their barbaric acts have destroyed the lives of children sexually, physically and emotionally. This hurt will remain with them for the rest of their lives. These priests have been protected and hidden for years and have served no sentence for the life sentence of trauma and sadness they inflicted on innocent children. Many of these priests now hide behind false names and closed doors, where they will live out the rest of their lives in relative comfort.

Whether we are religious or have faith, we know that those priests who abused children were not only morally corrupt and evil but committed terrible, brutal crimes and must now be brought to justice in the criminal courts. It is very hard to understand how lengthy investigations into clerical abuse by the Garda have resulted in just 11 convictions. What about those priests who come under the remit of religious orders? Who is investigating their actions?

When complaints first surfaced, the State authority, the Garda, failed in its duty to investigate and condemn paedophiles who were masquerading as representatives of God in our communities. Some senior gardaí turned a blind eye and allowed complaints to be hushed up and dealt with by the church. In many cases, priests who were accused of abuse were not relieved of their duties but instead were allowed to move from one parish to another, re-offending and destroying even more lives in one community after another. I cannot understand how bishops and archbishops allowed this to happen. Those who allowed crimes to pass unpunished clearly considered themselves above the law and were incapable of admitting the horrific failures of the church.

The Murphy report does not only highlight the abuse that took place in the Dublin archdiocese but also shows the gross inadequacies of the Catholic Church in dealing with serious complaints of child abuse over a long period of time. The publication of this report must result in real and positive changes being made to ensure that these atrocities never happen again.

It is not up to all those priests and bishops described in the Murphy report to decide on their future. They were incapable of making the right decision in the past so how can we expect them to make the right decision now? The institution of the church will survive only if those people in it to whom we look for leadership do the right thing. Therefore, the responsibility lies with those who have been entrusted by the Pope to direct the church in this country. They have a duty to act now and remove those people whose positions are seriously compromised as a result of this report. Criminal offences must be acted on and sentences handed out.

I do not believe an apology will ever repair the damage done to people's lives. I do not believe the church is really listening, even now, after everything has come to light. Many people in the church are still in denial. They are still drawn to covering up what happened. I believe that trust and faith are the cornerstones of the church. This report has not affected my belief or faith in a loving God, but it has deeply affected my faith in the Catholic Church as I see it today, a church that has lost its connection with its people. Sadly, I do not believe much has changed today. I experienced this in the recent past when a family crisis led me to seek guidance from the church. Although the clergy were sympathetic and concerned, they never acted. It was all words.

I agree with Bishop Willie Walsh who said yesterday that people's trust is "seriously broken" and that those who have been so loyal to the church are particularly saddened by these revelations. I also agree with him that it is good that the power wielded by the church is gone and that what is happening now will bring about very significant changes.

If the church wants to survive, it must re-instate its position as a source of healing and trust in communities. It needs to act and repent. In order to restore confidence in the church and gradually build it up again, we must make people accountable for their actions. We then have to trust that priests today are different and do not subscribe to abuse in any form.

How do we go forward? Where does the church go from here? Even more important, how will the church re-connect with young people, most of whom see no relevance for it in their lives today? In these difficult times, people need an anchor and need to maintain their faith in God and trust in Christian values. To achieve this, there must be a period of renewal and the key ingredient is the youth of this country; otherwise, the church faces a very bleak future. This very dark period in the history of the Catholic Church will never be forgotten but if we move forward together through reconciliation, there is a chance that something may be salvaged from all that has happened.

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