Archbishop promises full commission co-operation

The Archbishop of Dublin Dr Diarmuid Martin has said that the Dublin archdiocese will fully co-operate with the commission of investigation set up by the Government to examine how complaints of child sexual abuse against priests in Dublin were handled.

In a statement last night, Archbishop Martin said it was vitally important that the truth of what happened regarding abuse of children by priests is brought to light.

"We can only begin to fully address the issue of child abuse when we establish what happened in the past.

"Horrendous damage was done to people, compounded by inadequate responses."

Archbishop Martin said the diocese had co-operated with Garda investigations into complaints of child abuse by priests, and had handed over 22,000 documents.

He said he had recently written to priests in Dublin asking them to consult with the laity as to how the diocese could improve on child-protection structures.

One in Four, which supports persons who have experienced sexual abuse, said last night that it welcomed the establishment of the commission in the Dublin diocese.

However, Colm O'Gorman of One in Four said that it believed that the Government should have established a module of the commission to examine whether further investigations were necessary into particular issues in other dioceses.

He said the idea of writing to bishops to see if they were implementing child-protection guidelines or the recommendations of the Ferns report was meaningless.

"It has always been the view of One in Four that investigations must be focused and purposeful; we recognise the probable need for further investigations but feel strongly that preliminary examinations of such areas of concern will best inform where, for what purpose and the manner in which such investigations should be undertaken."

Mr O'Gorman said the events in Dublin into which the commission would inquire were not simply historic.

Understanding the nature of the deficient responses of the Catholic Church and State agencies to complaints, concerns or allegations was essential if we were to remedy the shortcomings in legislations and policy that allowed such abuse to happen.

Andrew Madden, who was abused by Dublin priest Fr Ivan Payne, last night welcomed the commission but questioned the 18-month deadline.