Sex cases 'may lead to drop in church members'

A senior Catholic bishop has said there could be a significant drop in Catholic Church members unless it is clear to people that the church really wants to face the truth about its handling of sex abuse cases.

Speaking after he had issued a statement to the people of the diocese of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh said the crisis had not brought about an immediate drop in numbers attending Mass. There was a lot of evidence of people showing solidarity with priests in recent weeks.

However, he cautioned: "There may be a drop in numbers going to church in the longer term if the lessons are not learned from the present crisis."

He said he was "very happy" the church was to commission an independent audit into how the church handled cases of sex abuse. "I expect questions will be asked of all of us on the issue," he said.

Bishop Walsh said he had followed the 1995 guidelines on reporting alleged sex abuse, "but the process can always be improved".

He said recent events might mean the issue of sex abuse would be recognised as a societal problem. He added: "Let not for a moment anyone think I do not underestimate the hurt caused by the church. I am not saying it to allow us off the hook but, ultimately, the issue needs to be recognised across society."

He had a sense, and some evidence, that recent events had brought a lot of hurt submerged for years to the surface. "Only now are we beginning to fully understand this issue and hopefully we can begin the process of healing and reconciliation."