PRESS RELEASE
Joint statement by the Irish Bishops’ Conference, the Conference of Religious of Ireland and the Irish Missionary Union in response to the publication of the NBSCCCI Annual Report 2010
We welcome the publication today of the 2010 Annual Report of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland (NBSCCCI). We take this opportunity to express the gratitude of the whole Church in Ireland to the members of the National Board and the National Office for their untiring commitment to the safety and welfare of children in the Church and for their unstinting professionalism in helping us all to meet the highest possible standards in this area.
The Board’s report demonstrates significant progress in many key areas, notably in policy development and training, as well as some important areas of challenge that have yet to be completely resolved. As Sponsoring Bodies we are fully committed to working with the Board to consolidate the progress made to date and to addressing those issues which have been a cause of some frustration to both the Sponsoring Bodies and the Board, particularly around data protection and the sharing of statistics and other specific information with the National Office.
The role of the National Board in monitoring the implementation of international best practice in safeguarding children by dioceses, religious congregations and missionary societies is vital if, in the words of Pope Benedict XVI, we are to ‘restore the respect and goodwill of the Irish people towards the Church’[1] and address the tragic and painful mistakes of the past. As Sponsoring Bodies we are committed to ensuring that the Board can fulfil its role of monitoring the implementation of international standards of best practice by all dioceses, religious congregations and mission societies. This will continue to be a priority in our ongoing engagement with the National Board in the year ahead.
We look forward to continuing our work with the Board and to resolve any remaining issues as quickly and as comprehensively as possible.
ENDS
- [1] Pope Benedict XVI, Pastoral Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, March 2010
- The Catholic Church’s three sponsoring bodies are the Irish Bishops’ Conference; the Conference of Religious of Ireland and the Irish Missionary Union
- See www.safeguarding.ie for a copy of the NBSCCCI Annual Report 2010 and the related press release
Further information:
Catholic Communications Office Maynooth: Martin Long 00353 (0) 86 172 7678 and Brenda Drumm 00353 (0) 87 310 4444
National Board for the Safeguarding of Children in the Catholic Church Issues 2010 Report
272 New Allegations of Abuse Reported
Wednesday 11 May 2011
The National Board for the Safeguarding of Children in the Catholic Church (NBSCCC) published its annual report today. It details the work done by the Board and its National Office during the year ending 31st March 2011. It notes that 272 new allegations of abuse (physical, emotional or sexual) were reported to the Board, and the authorities, between April 1st 2010 and the end of March 2011. This is an increase on last year’s number of 197. At this point, it is clear that the vast majority of these cases are historic in nature, but a precise breakdown is not currently available.
This breaks down to 166 allegations received by Religious Orders and 106 made to Dioceses. The National Office has been advised that all of the 272 allegations have been reported to the statutory authorities. 86 allegations were made against deceased Clerics or Religious; 12 who are still in ministry, and 174 who had been or were removed from ministry, retired or have left the clerical state through a process of laicisation.
As the remit of the NBSCCC includes providing support and training in implementing the safeguarding guidelines to which every constituent part of the Church has already given their endorsement, the report details the Board’s continued work in these areas. It also points out that the Board has provided training to 52 groups on various aspects of the safeguarding guidelines. It also details achievements in developing and improving training materials which will set a recognisable benchmark for training that will support the Standards set out by the Board.
Looking at its plans for the future the Board states that one of its priorities for 2011 will be to continue the Review programme, in as timely a fashion as possible, of Dioceses and Religious Congregations in response to the request of the December 2009 meeting of the Irish Bishops’ Conference. The emphasis will be to complete the Review process in the dioceses before commencing with religious congregations and missionary societies.
ENDS
For further information please contact: Ger Kenny 087 2488393
