IRELAND
The Irish Times

PATSY McGARRY, Religious Affairs Correspondent

A NOTICE on the Spiritans (former Holy Ghosts) congregation’s website announcing it has invited an audit of its handling of clerical child abuse allegations has been welcomed by abuse victim Mark V Healy.

The review follows a lengthy campaign by Mr Healy to have it put in place. The audit, by the Church’s National Board for Safeguarding Children, will take place in May, and its findings will be published.

Mr Healy was abused as a pupil at St Mary’s College, Rathmines, Dublin, by a Spiritans priest who was convicted in the courts. He said the audit was “a first regarding an Irish review of a missionary order” and “a first to be carried out anywhere in the world” on a missionary order.