This section is reprinted from The Irish Times, December 20, 2005. Author is Patsy McGarry Religious Affairs Correspondent. View original link at http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/front/2005/1220/1377773161HM1ABUSE.html

Catholic Archbishop Seán Brady yesterday committed the church in Ireland to implementing child protection guidelines that aim "to ensure that where the church is, children are safe".

Archbishop Brady said the guidelines were designed to ensure "the painful mistakes of the past will never happen again".

The new guidelines were welcomed by the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Brian Lenihan, and by the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

However, some abuse victims expressed disappointment. Colm O'Gorman of One in Four said the church had failed to meet the standards demanded by the Ferns Report. "We've moved backwards not forwards," he said.

The guidelines were sponsored by the Irish Bishops' Conference, the Conference of Religious of Ireland, and the Irish Missionary Union. Among the child protection measures included are:

A national board for child protection chaired by retired Supreme Court judge Anthony Hederman. It will be made up of parents and professionals in the areas of child care, psychology, theology, law, academia, education and business.

A national office for child protection to implement the board's policies and decisions.

A professional practice committee to advise and support bishops and religious superiors on dealing with abusers.

The setting up of five or six "collaborative units" each of which will have a director of child protection. Each diocese and congregation will have its own child protection committee and every parish will have a child protection representative.

The document also lays out a code of behaviour for church personnel. It prohibits, for example, the telling of jokes of a sexual nature in front of children, and warns against being alone with a child. It also covers rules on trips away from home, pilgrimages, the use of the internet, parental consent and health and safety considerations.

Quoting from the document at yesterday's launch, Bishop Colm O'Reilly said "all allegations of child abuse against church personnel shall be reported without delay to the church's director of child protection". Where it was "established that there are reasonable grounds for concern that child abuse has occurred" the director would "report the allegation to the civil authorities immediately".

He said a decision about how to proceed with an allegation of child abuse would be made by "a professionally-qualified person with experience in this field rather than by the bishop or religious superior".

© The Irish Times