Mary White (Fianna Fail)

The findings of the commission of investigation into the handling by church and State authorities of allegations and suspicions of child abuse against clerics of the Catholic archdiocese of Dublin were met with revulsion and horror. The Murphy report spelt out that "a systemic, calculated perversion of power and trust was visited on helpless and innocent children in the archdiocese over a 30 year period", according to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Dermot Ahern, when he spoke here in this Chamber. He stated, "it is a matter of profound regret that the tradition of deference which so many people showed to their church was, in so far as child abuse was concerned, entirely misplaced and had the effect of further abusing the victims". The Minister stated that when he received the report in July last, he immediately sent it to the Garda Commissioner. He added:

I have discussed it frequently with the ... Commissioner. It is clear from my contacts with him that neither he nor his force will rest until everything possible is done to ensure the perpetrators of this awful abuse pay for their crimes.

What stands out from this report is the failure of the Catholic Church to face up to, and deal in a proper and responsible way with, the serious and potentially criminal actions of its clergy. In every country where similar abuse has been identified, the church responded in a similarly defensive fashion. There has been no evidence of any country where the Catholic Church dealt with the allegations openly. The Vatican state oversees all of this and it has failed completely to handle the crimes committed by its members in Ireland and other countries. The Vatican and the papal nuncio to Ireland failed totally.

Speaking as a Christian, the failure of the church to put the welfare of the children before the perpetrators shows no reflection on the teaching of Christ, no more than if the Gospels did not exist. It is a mark of profound regret that the traditional deference which so many people showed to the Catholic Church was not only misplaced but, in fact, facilitated the abuse of innocent children.