THREE CATHOLIC dioceses complied with Health Service Executive requests for information on clerical child sex abuse in their areas under the recent audit by the HSE of child protection practices in Catholic dioceses in the Republic, it has emerged.
Informed sources have confirmed that the relevant information was supplied to the HSE by the dioceses of Achonry, Clonfert, and Killaloe.
To date the impression given was that no Catholic diocese in the Republic had filled in Section 5 of the HSE audit, sent to all dioceses in October 2006. It requested statistical information on clerical child sex abuse for each diocese.
In a letter sent in May 2007 to the then minister for children Brian Lenihan, HSE chief executive Prof Brendan Drumm said that “the bishops advised that Section 5 presented insurmountable difficulties in relation to confidentiality . . .”
It now seems this did not apply to three bishops, the then bishop of Achonry Dr Tom Flynn, the Bishop of Clonfert Dr John Kirby, and the Bishop of Killaloe Dr Willie Walsh.
It is also understood that the wording of Section 5 presented additional difficulties for relevant bishops other than confidentiality and that representatives of the HSE, the office of the current Minister for Children, Barry Andrews, and of the Catholic Church are to meet over the coming days to work on its rewording.
Section 5 of the original HSE audit consistently and erroneously used the word “religious” when it meant priests.
For example question 5.3 read: “Can you confirm, from your records, the following: (a) The number of Religious from the Diocese convicted for Child Sexual Abuse . . . ?” etc.
In Catholic Church parlance “religious” refers to nuns, brothers and priests of religious congregations who are in the main subject to their local superior, not the local bishop.
A bishop, generally, has authority only over his own diocesan/secular priests.
