Sign up to The Irish Times Archive (1859 - 2008)My Account »

A statement from the 18 congregations involved in the Government redress agreement

Last Thursday, the 18 congregations that signed the Redress Agreement with the Government in 2002 planned a meeting in Dublin to jointly discuss the Ryan Report.

The following statement was agreed at the conclusion of the meeting today.

"At our meeting in Dublin this morning, we again recognise and accept the gravity of the findings and conclusions contained in the Ryan Report. We fully accept that we seriously failed vulnerable people while in our care and that we have an on-going responsibility to try to meet their needs.

"Rather than re-opening the terms of the agreement reached with Government in 2002, we reiterate our commitment to working with those who suffered enormously while in our care. We must find the best and most appropriate ways of directly assisting them.

"We will meet again in the coming days to explore the detail of our responses."