Irish Catholic Church covered up child abuse, report says – CNN.com

November 26, 2009

(CNN) -- The Archdiocese of Dublin and other Catholic Church authorities in Ireland covered up clerical child abuse until the mid-1990s, according to a government-commissioned report released Thursday.

The Dublin Archdiocese Commission of Investigation's 720-page report said that it has "no doubt that clerical child sexual abuse was covered up" from January 1975 to May 2004, the time covered by the report. Photo - A report published in May 2009 detailed 70 years of abuse allegations in Ireland.

"The Dublin Archdiocese's pre-occupations in dealing with cases of child sexual abuse, at least until the mid 1990s, were the maintenance of secrecy, the avoidance of scandal, the protection of the reputation of the Church, and the preservation of its assets," the report said.

"The welfare of children, which should have been the first priority, was not even a factor to be considered in the early stages," it said.

"Instead the focus was on the avoidance of scandal and the preservation of the good name, status and assets of the institution and of what the institution regarded as its most important members -- the priests." Read complete article – CNN.com

Related links:

Ireland Child Sexual Abuse - Commission of Investigation, Dublin Archdiocese, Catholic Diocese of Cloyne

Pope ‘led cover-up of child abuse… London Evening Standard - standard.co.uk

This is about the reckless endangerment of children in a calculated, purposeful strategy to protect the institutional Church – The Christian Science Monitor

Pope summons bishops over abuse report - CNN International - Hada Messia

Watergate (Again)?