Press Release: Senator Bacik condemns culture of "Cover Up"
27 November 2009
BACIK CONDEMNS CULTURE OF ‘COVER UP' EXPOSED BY MURPHY REPORT INTO DUBLIN ARCHDIOCESE
SPEECH BY SENATOR IVANA BACIK AT CONFERENCE MARKING 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF GALWAY RAPE CRISIS CENTRE
Labour Party Seanad Spokesperson on Justice
Friday, 27 November, 2009
Speaking at a conference in Galway today to mark the 25th anniversary of the Galway Rape Crisis Centre, Senator Ivana Bacik welcomed the publication of the Report of the Commission of Investigation into the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin. She condemned the failures of the Church and State authorities to deal appropriately with allegations of sexual abuse, as exposed in the Report.
Pointing out that the Report investigated complaints made against a sample of 46 priests in respect of 320 children, Senator Bacik condemned the appalling cover-up of this widespread abuse by the Dublin Archdiocese, and also criticised the failures in the response of Gardai to complaints of sexual abuse made against priests.
In praising the work of the Galway Rape Crisis Centre and the Network of Rape Crisis Centres nationally, Senator Bacik said:
"Extraordinary levels of hard work and personal commitment are invested willingly by all of those involved in setting up and running rape crisis centres nationally. This selfless commitment shown by rape crisis centre volunteers and staff to supporting the survivors of sexual abuse must be contrasted with the selfish, callous and cruel behaviour of clerical sex abusers and their superiors, who actively worked to protect them. The culture of cover-up evident at the highest levels in the Church caused the continuance of horrific levels of sexual abuse against children for many decades. The Church needs to acknowledge its institutional fault in this. Any of those bishops named in the Report as having handled child sexual abuse complaints badly, who are still in office, should now resign as a matter of conscience."
Senator Bacik also called for a review of the significant role played by the Catholic Church in the education and health sectors in particular. She commented that:
"It is not appropriate for bishops, in particular those found to have colluded in the culture of cover-up, to remain in place as patrons of national schools. The shocking findings of the Murphy Report have shown clearly that the institution of the Catholic Church is not fit to continue to have control over the education of our children."
ENDS