IRELAND
The Journal

THE IRISH TIMES has apologised for a controversial Martyn Turner cartoon, calling its publication an “editorial lapse”.

In an apology published today, the paper said that Turner “took an unfortunate and unjustified side-swipe at all priests, suggesting that none of them can be trusted with children”.

The cartoon, which was removed from the paper’s website, depicted three priests standing next to each other; the priest in the centre was holding a paper with ‘Children’s First Bill’ and ‘mandatory reporting’ written on it.

The Bill will make it mandatory for certain professions and post-holders to report incidents of harm and the risk of harm

The Irish Times’ apology today said the paper ‘regrets and apologies for the hurt caused’.

“This has, unsurprisingly, caused considerable offence and we regret and apologise for the hurt caused by the cartoon whose use in that form, we acknowledge, reflected a regretable…