Statement by Bishop Noel Treanor, Bishop of Down and Connor, in response to the Dublin Report
The recent publication of the Dublin Report into cases of child abuse within the Archdiocese of Dublin from 1975-2004 is a shameful reminder to us of the pain and suffering experienced, both directly and indirectly, by children at the hands of those who should have cared for and protected them. As a Church, we must continue to apologise to those who have suffered for our failure to act and to listen to them in their hour of need. This abuse should never have happened and is contrary to the Christian call to reach out to the vulnerable in our society. Dreadful and painful as it is to address these issues, it is important to get to the truth of what happened and to find forums to discuss this problem.
However, as a Church, it is also important for us to examine in detail this report and its recommendations to ensure that we can continue to implement various processes and mechanisms to ensure that such abuse does not continue to happen in the future. From the first cases of abuse to publically come to light, the diocese of Down and Connor has responded quickly to introduce measures to ensure the protection of our children. We have learned and are learning from mistakes in addressing the issue of child abuse. We can assure all parishioners that we will be examining this Report carefully to explore what lessons can be learned.
ENDS
