By John Cooney Religion Correspondent
Friday April 15 2011
THE Dublin archdiocese has paid out €13.5m in settlement claims involving child sexual abuse by priests, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin revealed last night.
In an update of the diocese’s procedures for safeguarding children, Archbishop Martin said this figure consisted of €9.3m in settlements and €4.2m in legal costs for both the archdiocese and claimants.
Archbishop Martin also revealed it was now known that 570 people were abused by clerics in Dublin, the largest of the 26 dioceses in the Irish Catholic Church.
Since the publication in November 2009 of the shocking Murphy report into the horrendous scale of abuse in the Dublin diocese from 1940 to 2004, Archbishop Martin confirmed that 50 more people had come forward with new allegations of sexual abuse against 20 priests.
While these allegations related to “historic” cases, nine of these allegations were made against priests who were not previously on the Dublin dioceses internal records, he added.
But Archbishop Martin insisted that while he was confident in the high standards operating in Dublin, “there could be no room for complacency regarding the protection of children”.
Reinforcing the child welfare progress made under Archbishop Martin’s leadership, Andrew Fagan, the Dublin diocese’s director of the Child Safeguarding and Protection Service, said: “No priest deemed a risk to the safety of children is currently in ministry in the Dublin diocese.”
Mr Fagan insisted Dublin priests “want children to come to Mass, to serve on altars, to sing in choirs, to go on retreats and to be happy and safe as they do so”.
Safeguard
Staff members of the diocese’s child protection office have compiled a booklet outlining policies to safeguard children, which will be distributed to all parishes.
To date, 2,500 parishioners have taken part in child protection programmes, and more than 17,000 people have been vetted by gardai.
Archbishop Martin said this level of commitment was the best assurance that policies would be part and parcel of daily parish life.
On the Vatican probe into the Dublin diocese, Archbishop Martin said this was completed and a report would be presented to the Vatican by the Archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, at Easter.
– John Cooney Religion Correspondent – Irish Independent.
Hello paddy . yesterday on the news a bishop from belguim was interviewed about the cases of abuse against him. he spoke of the abuse on his nephews. there was no sign of any kind of regret on his side. he said that when he abused his nephews he did not think of himself as a pedophile . and that he had the immpression that his victims had nothing against the abuse. this guy has been sent to a place in france for treatment. the pope and his buddies knew about this since last year. how can this still be going on nowadays. i mean covering up for these perverts. and how can anybody trust this pope. its downright dangerous to let him go on thinking of himself as a servant of god. he is a buisness man with too much power. his nephews have to face this in thier own family. the poor guys its heartbreaking.thay are his victims and his family.
The following piece by Richard Sipe is a great insight into how this catholic church, but more so its “bishops”, cling to inherited brutalities of instinctive behaviour as a means of “defence” whenever OBEIDENCE TO ROME is called upon to protect this corrupt church from exposure. There`s nothing oblique about Richard Sipe here, it`s a refreshing “diversion” from FOOT WASHING STUNTS and other such like “religious” intuitions which puts this catholic church in danger of allying themselves with lower practices and “emotions” as it struggles to maintain a “moral” face. !!. In the history of idea`s, the great danger is over-simplification, and Diarmuid Martin has produced that in abundance.! The Irish bishops, like their American counterparts are in for ANOTHER rough ride as the Cloyne report is about to hit them.