Statement from Bishop Smith

1. Statement from Bishop Smith:

"The Murphy Report highlights the serious mistakes made and the terrible suffering that too many children endured. Following its publication, Pope Benedict invited the Irish Bishops to meet with him over two days in Rome. The Holy Father and nine senior Cardinals and Archbishops from the Curia were present for the meeting on Monday and up to lunchtime on Tuesday.

"By his and their presence, they wished to emphasise the seriousness with which they view this evil which affects the life of the Church in Ireland and society worldwide. The meeting began with each of the Irish Bishops giving a five minute presentation on different aspects of the issue. In the afternoon, the Cardinals and Archbishops from the Curia responded, taking up a number of the points made in the morning presentations. Pope Benedict did likewise.

"When these were completed, discussion began on the draft of the letter that Pope Benedict will send to the Irish Church in the next few weeks. He listened attentively to comments and suggestions made by all present and will take these into account in finalising his letter. Contrary to some reports, I found the meeting with Pope Benedict earlier this week to be the most open, honest and engaged meeting that I have attended.

"Since the publication of its Framework document in 1996, setting down procedures for the processing of complaints, the Catholic Church in Ireland has constantly evaluated and reviewed our national policy and procedures for safeguarding children. In this diocese that has been done in complete cooperation with the HSE, seeking to ensure that best practice is in place.

"Lent invites us to repentance. Lent also has at its heart a deep message of hope, a hope rooted in the life, death and resurrection of Christ. The Church must always take its teaching from the life and words of Christ, repenting when it has failed to do so."

2. Excerpt from the Vatican Press Release following the meeting:

"Pope Benedict met the Irish Bishops and senior members of the Roman Curia examined the failure of Irish Church authorities for many years to act effectively in dealing with cases involving the sexual abuse of young people by some Irish clergy and religious.

"All those present recognized that this grave crisis has led to a breakdown in trust in the Church’s leadership and has damaged her witness to the Gospel and its moral teaching.

"For his part, the Holy Father observed that the sexual abuse of children and young people is not only a heinous crime, but also a grave sin which offends God and wounds the dignity of the human person created in his image. While realizing that the current painful situation will not be resolved quickly, he challenged the Bishops to address the problems of the past with determination and resolve, and to face the present crisis with honesty and courage."

3. Comment from Sandra Neville, Meath Diocesan Child Protection Trainer

“Over the past 18 months, we have been rolling out our safeguarding children policy and procedures. Over this period, 120 lay people in parishes and 70 priests have undertaken specific training. We are working with these lay people and priests in implementing the policy and procedures at parish level. “

4. Excerpt from last year’s annual Report
from the National Board for Safeguarding Children, Maynooth
full text available here

“Over the past year and a half, the National Board has initiated a process of gathering statistical data in order to assess the volume of safeguarding issues that arise within the Church, and to better understand the management of allegations, assessment of risk and response to those in need of support.

A total of fifty-six allegations of abuse were notified by the twenty-six dioceses nationally and all these were reported to the statutory authorities (north and south, in Ireland) during 2008. Twenty-one involved clergy who are now deceased.

5. Contact details for Meath Diocesan Delegate

“If you have a concern about a child protection issue, you can inform your local lay parish representatives. You may also contact Father Seán Henry, the Delegate at 086 1574774 or delegate@dioceseofmeath.ie. You can also your concern directly to the HSE or Gardai.

If the matter relates to Church personnel, the Delegate should be informed so that the Diocese can take the necessary steps."