Irish Catholics Brace for Release of Abuse Report

The influence of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland has plummeted - and rightly so - over the last few years as reports of sexual abuse by priests and workhouse horrors have swept the headlines. Now, a new report is due for release tomorrow and the Church may receive yet another near knockout blow to what little reputation it has left in a country that once was a bastion of Catholicism. As the Sydney Morning Herald reports, the expectations are that the report by the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse is anticipated to be devastating, possibly implicating 500 priests in the diocese of Dublin alone. Here are some story highlights:

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HUNDREDS of Catholic priests are expected to be implicated in child abuse in Ireland when a long-awaited report is published this week. The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse has spent nine years looking into allegations, some of which date back more than 60 years, from thousands of former residents of state schools and orphanages. It is due to report tomorrow, and the commission will publish a second report, on how the church handled sex abuse complaints, in July. It is thought about 500 priests in the diocese of Dublin alone have been implicated.

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Many thousands of children sent to institutions suffered at the hands of religious orders such as the Christian Brothers and Sisters of Mercy. Most of the children were born to unmarried mothers or came from large, impoverished families that could not afford to keep them. . . . At Easter the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, warned churchgoers that when published the report would "shock us all". "It is likely that thousands of children or young people across Ireland were abused by priests in the period under investigation, . . .

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In 2003 the government offered compensation to victims of institutionalised child abuse. It was expected to cost $1.5 billion. The estimated bill was based on just 10,000 of the 150,000 victims coming forward. If all survivors claimed, the Republic could face a bill of about $22 billion.

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In the second report the church is likely to face heavy criticism for trying to cover up abuse when it emerged. In some instances the church simply moved abusive priests from parish to parish to avoid scandal.

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Given the Church's horrible history of abuse, cover up and unbelievable hypocrisy one has to wonder why anyone continues to listen to the bleating of its hierarchy. In any other institution there would have been wholesale firings and forced resignations of those in charge who had failed so miserably on their watch. But not so in the Roman Catholic Church. It is an ugly, ugly situation and I am pleased that the Church in Ireland has rightly lost much of its ability to hide its dirty linen. If anyone is "inherently disordered," I'd say its the Church hierarchy.