James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)

Normally one is pleased to speak in the House. Unfortunately, today's discussion is one that gives none of us any pleasure.

This is a report on the response of the church, as an institution, to the revelations of child abuse. There is no question but that child abuse did occur. I find the response of the church disappointing. Many of its senior members seem to continue to live in denial, refusing to accept that as custodians of the moral values of our society they have failed grievously. Not only have they failed but they have been complicit in compounding that failure through their continued refusal to accept responsibility, particularly those bishops who were directly involved. It is unacceptable that they should now look to the laity and to their priests instead of to their consciences. Surely their consciences are informed enough to know right from wrong. As one journalist put it during the week, the Irish people certainly know what is right and what is wrong. Instead of continuing and ultimately succumbing, perhaps those who are in leadership roles in the church will now show that leadership by doing the right and honourable thing - by listening to their consciences and remembering what brought them into the church in the first place. They must restore Christian values and do what is right.

There are many good people in the church. I, like many others, was educated in a school run by a religious order, the Franciscans in Gormanston, which has also had an unfortunate history. It is not that wrong does not occur in the world; it happens all the time. Bad people do not disappear. Some people have their demons, as in the example I will mention shortly, because of the problems they suffered in life. The issue is how we deal with that. It is a system that protects people from the misdemeanours of individuals.

Unfortunately the system operated by the Catholic church in this country over the years under discussion shows very clearly that the reputation of the church came first and consideration of child safety came a long way behind in second place. I support people like Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, who is caught in a difficult place, who strives to bring his fellow churchmen with him and who invites the Garda back to ensure there is not a paedophile ring within the church. He needs our support even though he can oft be the focus of our anger because he has put himself out there. However, the people at whom we really need to be angry are the bishops who are condemned in this report and do not act. They have preached oft and long to us from the altar about our conscience, Christian values, morals and doing the right thing, and yet they vacillate when it comes to themselves and that is a disgrace. It is not just a disgrace but also a rot that will destroy the Catholic church in the country.

In a letter to the editor, printed in today's edition of The Irish Times, Dr. Vincent Twomey, professor of moral philosophy in St. Patrick's College, Maynooth, stated:

At the very least, it would seem, all were guilty of negligence - some, such as Bishop Donal Murray of Limerick, whose behaviour was described as "inexcusable", more than others. But all were deemed guilty of inaction, of failing to listen to their conscience.

Edmund Burke said, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." This is something that cannot continue. None of us can stand idly by anymore. None of us can afford to accord reverence and deference to the point of breaking the law, abusing children, depriving them of their right and worst of all robbing them not just of their innocence but often of any chance of happiness in life.

I wish to read into the record part of an article in the Fingal Independent about the victim of a priest in my constituency. It states:

Bernard told the Fingal Independent that it was important for the country's children, that something like this never happens again.

He said: "Going forward, all institutions dealing with children have to know that if they are aware of a scandal they can't do nothing about it.'"

He said he bore no grudges against Fr McNamee's family and he was still struggling to understand why the priest did what he did.

Bernard said: "He had his own demons that he wasn't able to deal with in the institution he was in. I don't in any way condone what he did but I recognise there was no support for him either."

That man showed more compassion in those few words than the church has shown in all its volumes of rhetoric. If the church is to survive here, and retain and regain respect, it needs to act in a manner that is respectful of both law and morality. I regret that the very slow reaction of many of these men - for they are all men - does the church no good whatsoever.

Last week a fellow Deputy alleged to me that a good friend of his who had been abused by a priest was visited by a bishop earlier this year and offered a large sum of money to go away and keep quiet. He refused to do so. Like thousands of other people he wants to see justice done. I object in the most strenuous fashion to another bishop suggesting that given that we know it went on everywhere else let us get on with child protection and forget about all the perpetrators. That is unacceptable. This investigation must be extended to every diocese in the country. Every perpetrator needs to be brought to justice. All those who were abused need to be afforded the opportunity to confront their abusers if they are still alive. They certainly should have the opportunity to confront those who protected those priests and moved them around so they could continue their evil ways. That is the very least we can expect.

We also need a dedicated special Garda unit to investigate matters relating to clerical child sex abuse in addition to the existing domestic violence sexual assault investigation unit. We need an investigation to establish whether a paedophile ring existed within the Catholic church. I support Archbishop Diarmuid Martin in this. Where the law permits, people who broke the law or aided and abetted others to break the law should be subject to criminal proceedings. I understand from reports in today's newspapers that the Garda has confirmed that will happen. However, it needs to happen expeditiously and should not be left to become an investigation that wanders on for years. The Garda has its own problems in this area in so far as some of its members behaved in a far too deferential fashion in the past. Perhaps some politicians did likewise. However, now that it is exposed the question is how we should react.

Canon Law is for the church and it should be left for the church. Let the church not be under the illusion that it is not subject to the law of this State or that Cannon Law supersedes it. The silence of the Vatican is a gross insult to the nation and unacceptable. The failure of the papal nuncio to at the very least acknowledge receipt of the extract of the report sent by the commission is reprehensible in the extreme and is symbolic of the ongoing denial of the church. If such a matter were sent to the British Embassy and we did not receive a response there would be uproar. So let us have uproar over this matter and let the Vatican as an independent state respond in a responsible fashion to retain the good relations we have had for many years.

Those men who are responsible, directly or indirectly, for aiding and abetting the continued abuse of children, for not confronting priests, and for not at least putting them out of harm's way and allowing them to continue to abuse in different communities with no warning given to those communities, ought to look to their consciences and act decisively if they care for the future of the church, the good of the country and the victims of the abuse.

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