Abuse victim critical of Cowen statement

The first victim of clerical abuse to go public has criticised the Taoiseach over the contents of a statement issued in response to the publication of the Murphy Report into clerical abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese.

Mr Cowen yesterday issued his first statement on the matter, responding to the report which was published on Thursday.

In his statement, Mr Cowen said it was up to the religious institutions and their members to determine the "appropriateness" of any individual to hold ecclesiastical office.

Mr Andrew Madden, who in 1995 became the first person in Ireland to go public about his abuse by a priest, issued a statement critical of Mr Cowen's view and said the deference shown to bishops and priests by agencies of the State "is not at all over."

Mr Cowen described the findings of the Murphy Report  as "truly shocking and disturbing".

"It is a crushing verdict that the good name and standing of the Church as an institution was placed above the basic safety of children. Where this was facilitated by servants of the State, it was a betrayal of trust and a complete abandoning of duty", Mr Cowen said.

However, stopping short of repeating Friday's call by Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny for bishops implicated in the report to resign, the Taoiseach said it was up to the religious institutions and their members to determine the "appropriateness" of any individual to hold ecclesiastical office.

Mr Madden responded last night and questioned the Taoiseach's view.

"Given that Bishops Murray of Limerick, Moriarty of Kildare andLeighlin, and Drennan of Galway are patrons of most of the schools in their Dioceses and have been found in the Murphy Report to have collectively put the maintenance of secrecy, the avoidance of scandal, the protection of the reputation of the Church and the preservation of its assets above the safety, welfare and protection of children, it is wholly inappropriate to say that it is a matter for themselves whether or not they continue to hold such office", he said in his statement.

"Clearly the undue deference shown to bishops and priests by agencies of the State, as detailed in Murphy Report, is not at all over", he concluded.