BishopAccountability.org
	Orde to Be Quizzed over Church's Sex Abuse Files By Philip Bradfield News Letter June 11, 2009 http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/Orde-to-be-quizzed-over.5357069.jp A MEMBER of the Policing Board is set to quiz the Chief Constable today on why the PSNI agreed not to inspect child abuse archives of the Roman Catholic Church dating back to 1965. And victims of clerical abuse in Northern Ireland are now calling on the Church to be completely transparent with its records. The news comes after the Ryan Report in the Republic made international headlines for detailing the physical and sexual abuse suffered by 2,000 children in Church care. Questions have been raised in recent days as to whether a similar inquiry should now be held in Northern Ireland. But the News Letter can confirm that the Roman Catholic Church reached agreement with the PSNI several years ago that it would keep its entire archive of child abuse allegations against 41 clergy dating back to 1965 under wraps. Instead, the Church made its own summaries of all such allegations and presented them to the PSNI. The Public Prosecution Service later concluded that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute nine suspects. In 2006, Archbishop Sean Brady said that all allegations against northern clergy " from 1965 to the present have been summarised and provided to the authorities". When asked, neither the Church nor PSNI has contested that the Church's archives and original documents about child sexual abuse were not inspected by police. Policing Board member and MLA Basil McCrea said last night that he had tabled a number of questions for Sir Hugh Orde at today's Policing Board meeting about the arrangement. "Child abuse is one of those things nobody nobody wants to look into," he said. " But we must ask questions and have complete transparency about what has happened in this matter in order to protect the vulnerable." A police spokesman said: "We filed a paper to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS), the PPS decided not to prosecute that decision is a matter that only the PPS can discuss." He declined to offer any further comment. The PPS did not think there would be a better chance of prosecution if PSNI detectives had actually inspected the Church's original archive of abuse allegations. "It was considered that the facts and information reported were sufficient for such decisions to be taken and that all necessary police inquiries had been carried out," a PPS spokeswoman said. Nine living suspects were identified by police from 31 victims but no prosecution was taken because of insufficient evidence, she added. A spokeswoman for the Department of Health ( DHSSPS) confirmed that talks had taken place with police and the Church. " The fact is that discussions took place between the Roman Catholic Church, DHSSPS and PSNI following publication of the Ferns Report, in October 2005, into allegations of child abuse by clergy from the Roman Catholic Church," said a DHSSPS spokeswoman. She said DHSSPS was aware that the Church provided information directly to the police about abuse allegations, but the department did not know what was supplied. A spokesman for Cardinal Sean Brady said: "Following the publication of the Ferns Report in 2006, discussions took place between representatives of the Catholic Church and representatives of the DHSSPS and PSNI with a view to ensuring that all allegations of child sexual abuse made against Catholic clergy in Northern Ireland in the period from 1965 to that time had been reported to the civil authorities. "From the outset the Church made it clear that it would cooperate fully with the DHSSPS and PSNI in any request for information relating to these allegations. "The Catholic Church complied with all requests for such information and in the manner deemed appropriate by the civil authorities."
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.