Dan Boyle (Green Party)

In the last decade of the last century and in the first decade of this century, the totems of power and respectability in this country have crumbled. We have seen it happen in regard to our political and financial systems. In terms of religious structures, this report and others have undermined public confidence in those who portrayed themselves as being at the head of our society. As to whether this will be to our betterment going forward, we can only ensure it is by making sure all the information in regard to this tawdry and sordid history is brought to light. Every effort should be made to identify and help the victims.

The sad fact which this report, other reports and the need for other reports to be conducted reveals is that the rights of children were the last consideration, if considered at all, of those involved in these processes. It seems the prime consideration was the protection of an institution. If the aim was to protect an institution, it solidly failed in that policy goal because the institution is sadly discredited as a result of the activities described here, including the sordid acts committed on these children and the reprehensible behaviour which followed to ensure those who committed these acts were not brought before the law and made to account for their actions.

The numbers are frightening. The commission received complaints in regard to 183 priests and worked with a sample of 46 priests against whom complaints were made in regard to 320 children. As Senator O'Donovan said, this a snapshot of, or the tip of the iceberg in regard to, an activity that existed in our society, to which a blind eye was turned and about which nothing was said for decades. All of us should share in the shame.

The State authorities, whether through a lack of resources or compliance, ensured some of those guilty of these heinous crimes never saw justice. That is something with which the Legislature must deal not only in this debate but in terms of how we frame systems in future legislation to ensure it never happens again.

It was interesting that of the 46 priests examined in the sample group, only 11 pleaded guilty or have been found guilty in the courts. Some 35 of the sample group have not been brought before the courts. Of the complaints received in regard to the other 150 or so priests, we have no knowledge as to how many of them have gone through the system but we can presume it is a similar proportion.

There are many sad and all too human stories in this report. The one which struck me was the story of Peter McCloskey who was an abuse victim of a priest who was brought to the archdiocese of Dublin from Australia. The church authorities in Dublin were aware that the priest had been engaged in sex abuse crimes in Australia. As one of that priest's victims, Peter McCloskey was not only treated appallingly by the priest but subsequently by the State. He suffered severe psychiatric conditions as a result of his rape and became a victim of self-harm. He was in and out of many psychiatric institutions, was given a great deal of medicine and was subjected to electro convulsive therapy treatment. This was all during a time when few, if any, believed his story. Peter McCloskey subsequently committed suicide. How a society can stand over a situation in which a person was abused as a child, went through the mental health system and was repeatedly failed by society is something for which the individuals named in this report must account and take action on. It is not enough, as some have said, that they have explained their actions.

The Legislature cannot say whether people should serve in particular ecclesiastical offices but we can say they have no right to be considered civic leaders on the basis of their behaviour in holding that office. Named individuals in this report need to look at their consciences and at their behaviour in regard to how they conducted their offices on behalf of the Catholic church.

I will not name people or engage in the blame game that goes along with this because the report speaks for itself and names people and identifies circumstances. Moral actions should follow the publication of the report and the public debate on it.

The general situation in regard to child sex abuse not only as it affects the Catholic church but how we, as a society, deal with it is still sadly deficient. This country is falling far behind in terms of the ability to identify its incidence and deal with victims and offer ongoing support. We may learn lessons from a report such as this but we can take no pride from what has gone on before and even less pride from what we are failing to do now.

If anything is to be achieved from the commissioning of reports such as this and the diligent way it has been put together by Ms Justice Yvonne Murphy, it must be that the recommendations are acted on quickly. The Government has given commitments in regard to the Ryan report. Whatever necessary follow through action is needed on foot of the report into the archdiocese of Dublin should be taken.

Senator Norris mentioned that since we have the Ryan report, knowledge of the situation in the diocese of Ferns and diocese of Cloyne, we need to gather information on where this has occurred elsewhere in the country. Few of us believe this was not a deeply ingrained problem. We can no longer go along with the notion that this level of incidence existed in society at large.

It is clear from the numbers involved and the way claims were managed subsequently in terms of support for perpetrators and near indifference to victims that a severe imbalance exists in the institution of the Catholic church. Sadly, this was a situation in which the authorities of this State were all too complicit.

I hope the legislation introduced over the past decade will address our sense of shame by preventing the recurrence of these heinous deeds. We must also treat the many thousands of child victims of abuse who are in real need of support with more than the indifference and ignorance to which they were previously subjected by the State. We must do whatever we can as a society to prevent abuse in the future and never again allow a culture of silence to develop. No balanced society would tolerate these deeds and we can only pray that we have finally put a close to this chapter of our history.