Irish Government to Set Up Commission on Abuse at Catholic Order-Run Schools

The Irish government will set up an official commission of investigation into sexual abuse at schools run by Catholic religious orders after a preliminary inquiry highlighted widespread complaints over decades. The inquiry, known as the Scoping Inquiry and led by barrister Mary O’Toole, was launched in 2022 after a documentary by Ireland’s RTE public radio exposed abuse at Dublin’s Blackrock College, one of five schools run by the Holy Ghost Fathers, or Spiritans.

The inquiry’s 802-page report, published September 3, lists 884 religious and lay staff members accused of abuse, from 42 of the 73 religious orders involved in education. It details 2,395 abuse claims at 308 order-run schools since the 1960s. The report cautions that the victim total would be higher than currently documented because of under-reporting, and it says the figure could reach 15,300 men and 26,000 women, according to the country’s Central Statistics Office.

According to the report, the orders facing the most accusations included the Congregation of Sisters of Mercy, the Presentation Brothers and the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. Claims were also made against the Carmelites, Dominicans, Franciscans, Jesuits and Christian Brothers.

Many of the 149 people who submitted testimonies cited “ferocious violence,” the report said. It also said the abuse was “so pervasive” that survivors believed it “could not possibly have gone unnoticed by other staff, and the members and leadership of the religious orders.” Victims described mental health problems and “unhealthy coping mechanisms” involving alcohol and drugs, with difficulties extending into adulthood, including confused sexuality, relationship problems and lost career opportunities.

“Many said their childhood stopped the day the abuse started,” the report says. Survivors said the power of the Catholic Church permeated their lives in every way, and that there was no one they could tell, including their parents. Some described becoming alienated from religion and church-related services to the point that they avoided attending a parent’s funeral or other family events because they could not enter a church. The report’s account of these experiences points to a need to protect the vulnerable (Psalm 82:3).

Gerard Gallagher, spokesman for the Dublin-based Association of Leaders of Missionaries and Religious of Ireland, or AMRI, responded to the report. He said it “concurs this isn’t just a church problem, but a society problem,” and that “there are wider cultural norms in play, not just religious ones.” He also said the church had been dealing with scandals for the past 30 years and had “always encouraged the fullest cooperation with investigations.” In an OSV News interview, Gallagher said the association had been asked to ensure its 135 member orders complied with the inquiry, while continuing to work on abuse claims with the Vatican.

Ireland’s education minister, Norma Foley, described the scale of abuse revealed in the “harrowing document” as “truly shocking.” At a September 3 press conference, she said it was vital that the “needs of survivors” remain uppermost in responses to the report. In a statement the same day, AMRI said it was “deeply sorry” and “acutely aware” that “sharing personal, sensitive and traumatic experiences can cause additional pain and suffering.” The association encouraged anyone needing support to contact the individual religious orders and congregations, and said that “rigorous child protection structures are in place in all Catholic schools to maximize the safety of every student.”

The report is the latest of several since the 1990s to examine abuse in the Irish church, which established the National Board for Safeguarding Children in 2006.

Source: Read the original report