PRESS RELEASE
20 May 2009
Statement by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland, on the publication of the Report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse
In response to requests to comment on the publication of the report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said he was mindful that short superficial comments would be an injustice to victims.
He said,” Their stories of horrible abuse are, in many cases, stomach turning; their courage in telling their stories, admirable.”
Archbishop Martin said all church organisations involved in this report should seriously examine, as the report points out, “how their ideals became debased by systematic abuse.”
He particularly emphasised the recommendations in the report which stated that child safeguarding measures should be children centered; “We must find ways of ensuring that the cries and anxieties of children are heard and listened to. This is not a report to be put on a shelf – it’s a real cry for a new look at the way we care for our children. If we truly regret what happened in the past we must commit ourselves to a very different future.” he said.
