James Bannon (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and I compliment him on sitting through the entire debate since it commenced last week. I also compliment all those involved in the preparation of the report.

We live in an era of accountability where the slightest hint of scandal leads to ministerial or other political resignations. An improper act by a supermodel results in cancellation of her contracts and sporting heroes fall from favour. We could be living in an era of Victorian morality, and this would be applicable if we lived in Britain. However, in Ireland, the picture is very different. Scandals hit the headlines, reports are written and the status quo is subsequently largely undisturbed, particularly if the finger of suspicion is pointing at the Catholic Church.

We have had the revelations of the horrors of the Magdalene laundries, Letterfrack industrial school, Goldenbridge, Artane, St. Joseph's, Ferryhouse, St. Joseph's, Summerhill and Daingean reformatory. The Kennedy report, which has been described as "one of the most damning indictments of the operation of any State system ever produced in this country", the Laffoy commission and the Ferns Report, which is not reading for the sensitive, as Senator Feeney stated, provide a record of appalling betrayal and abuse of innocent trusting children, on a scale beyond comprehension. The inquiry into the Dublin archdiocese is pending and will more than likely be equally horrific. I do not wish to pre-empt itscontent but media and other reports indicate a great deal remains to be unearthed in this diocese.

I used the words, "State system", when referring to the findings of the Kennedy report on industrial schools, which eventually led to the closure of these institutions, as it demonstrated the recognised collusion between the State and the Catholic Church and highlighted the ultimate responsibility which rested with the State. These institutions may have been run by the religious orders, but they did so on behalf of the State, which had ultimate control and whose head in the sand approach to the lives of young children reflects badly on us all. The collective guilt involves a number of Departments, health boards, political institutions and the Garda.

Thousands of wonderful nuns and priests work on behalf of society in Ireland and throughout the world with many engaged in charitable work. Like other speakers, I wish to acknowledge their immense work. I had three uncles who were priests and they worked both on the missions and here at home. I am aware of the effort they put into serving communities not alone here but also in foreign fields. I am also aware of the hardships they encountered as a result of their work. A few years ago when one of my uncles returned for a holiday, he attended a Dublin hospital for a check-up and died there. He never lived to enjoy a period of retirement, but passed away while still engaged in his mainstream pastoral activity. For almost his entire life he worked his heart out for the betterment of society in Ethiopia and Kenya.

The special relationship between church and State has not served the country, its citizens or the victims of abuse. If he were alive today, it would be interesting to hear the views on this issue of the former Minister for Health, Dr. Noel Browne, who served in the Lower House for many years. We know how Dr. Browne was victimised in a previous Government because of his views and what he was trying to do to improve society.

The Ferns Report spells out that complaints of sexual abuse against priests were not handled appropriately by the Garda Síochána and in some cases were not even recorded by a force which was reluctant to cross the church. In those years, many sections of society were reluctant to cross the church. I can recall being told as a young boy that if one said anything about the church one could be struck down. That fear was engendered in many citizens 20, 30 or 40 years ago.

For too long we, as a country, were tied to the church and in many cases continued to look away from child abuse. It is now time for the State and its associated authorities to cut the apron strings that held them to the Catholic Church. While the decision of any individual to be a member of the Catholic Church is a personal matter, any link between it, or any other religion, and the State is no longer acceptable.

It is extremely difficult to separate the actions of abusive priests from any other priests or bishops of the Catholic Church in Ireland. Some people, while not guilty of actual abuse, were often accessories to such actions by turning a blind eye and ignoring or bypassing what was under their noses in the interest of preserving the good name of the church, which was allowed to take precedence over any suffering of innocent children.

When we think of our own sons, daughters, nieces and nephews, it is beyond belief to imagine children dying in institutional care, being scalded with boiling water, beaten, starved and sexually and psychologically abused. The mind of the average citizen cannot stretch to encompass such horrors. As other Senators said, it was both horrible and sickening to read the Ferns Report. In fact, I gave up after the first 20 pages because it was so disgusting. I was ashamed to read that this could have happened in a society which was known as Catholic Ireland.

As the Minister of State is aware, such abuses occurred over and over again. It is important that they must not be allowed to happen in the future. This report must be the catalyst — the start of progress towards a new, secular Ireland. The cap-in-hand, deferential attitude with which successive Governments treated the Catholic Church, was extremely beneficial for both Church and State, but it must now end in the interests of fairness and accountability.

I am a Catholic by choice, but I have neither reason nor wish to impose my views on others. As a matter of faith, membership of the church is important to me. I see no reason, however, my religion or any other should have far-reaching consequences for today's Ireland, which is becoming a multi-faith society. Each religion deserves to have as much or as little influence as any other.

I recall that in the past whenever I inquired about my friends of other religious persuasions in the parish, my late mother always said, "think about it this way: we are all in different ships, but at the end of the day we are sailing into the one port". I remember her remarks which I still believe in today.

As a practising Catholic, I am horrified by the church's repeated failure to protect innocent, vulnerable children and the fact that there was no State or governmental structure to ensure they were protected. The State must take action to protect all children. The assumption that priests or nuns can be exempt from the rigorous assessment required of lay people working with children, must be fully and finally removed. The full rigours of the law must be applied to them. As Senator O'Toole said earlier, a nationwide vetting system must be put in place for all citizens dealing with children.

With 100 cases of child abuse found in one diocese, what other revelations remain to emerge around the country? I understand the Minister has set in train the report on the Dublin archdiocese. The Ferns Report is a wake-up call of monumental import but it must not be disregarded until the next scandal hits the headlines. The Government must take action now and make it clear to all, both at home and abroad, that our children are not pawns in a sick conspiracy between church and State. The Government must ensure that children are valued beyond any benefit that such an association may bring to anyone concerned.

I thank the Minister of State for his contribution. The Ferns Report cannot be disregarded and must be acted upon quickly. That is the loud and clear message from all citizens, whether they hold positions in the church or have no religion. They want action immediately to ensure that nothing of this kind ever happens again in our society.