John Gerard Hanafin (Fianna Fail)

I support Senator Coghlan's call for balance in debate, in particular when speaking about the Catholic Church. This House is ad idem about the terrible fact that child abuse took place and was undertaken by certain members of different churches. I am also conscious abuse is against the rules, diktats and the specific teaching of every church and is considered a most heinous crime. This is something we should remember and which should provide us with necessary balance. The church has, and continues, to come out strongly against all of those who undertook any despicable acts.

I ask the Leader to mention the role of the Oireachtas in dealing with matters such as moral issues. Having been involved in different campaigns and having been very careful not to be seen to be sanctimonious or to draw conclusions about individuals, I am conscious the Oireachtas is not a particularly good place to debate individual cases of morality. Such debates become very much like a Salem witch hunt. Unfortunately, we have seen instances of individuals in the Oireachtas being questioned about what has happened. That does not seem correct, unless it affects their duty and work and is directly connected with them. As mentioned, I have been involved with issues regarded generally as moral issues and know that people must be very careful to deal with the generalities rather than the specifics.