IRELAND
The Washington Times
By Jennifer Pompi-The Washington Times
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
The Catholic Church in Ireland has come under fire after a researcher discovered a mass grave filled with the bodies of 796 babies near a former orphanage and home for unwed mothers.
The home, run by the Bon Secours nuns from 1925-1961 in County Galway, saw the hundreds of children dying of malnourishment and neglect, as well as contagious diseases like measles, tuberculosis and pneumonia, reported The Daily Mail.
The babies were put in what was once a septic tank, with a simple shroud and no coffins, said researcher Catherine Corless, who discovered the death records, according to reports.
A health board report in 1944 revealed the conditions of the home, The Daily Mail reports. A 13-month-old boy was described as “miserable, emaciated child with voracious appetite and no control over bodily functions and probably mentally defective,” and 31 other children in the same room were described as “poor babies, emaciated and not thriving.”
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