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Health chiefs are to be investigated over the handling of clerical abuse allegations in the Catholic Church, it emerged tonight.
Children’s Ombudsman Emily Logan said her office will probe if there has been any maladministration by the Health Service Executive (HSE) and Department of Health when it carried out an audit on child protection issues in Dioceses across the country, including Cork’s scandal-hit Diocese of Cloyne.
The beleaguered Bishop of Cloyne John Magee, a former Vatican aide, has faced down repeated calls to resign over his handling of child sex abuse allegations.
Although the HSE audit found Cloyne breached church and state guidelines as it did not inform health chiefs of complaints made against two of its priests, it stated it did not need further investigation.
But Children’s Minister Barry Andrews stepped in and demanded a re-examination of all complaints in the south-west.
The Government ordered a state inquiry into alleged paedophile clerics in the Archdiocese of Dublin to extend its two-year long probe to include allegations made in Cloyne.
Ms Logan has now written to the HSE and the Department of Health requesting files relating to the audit.
Although the Ombudsman’s office holds a certain moral authority, there is nothing laid down in law giving the office powers to force organisations and people to act.
