The National Board for Safeguarding Children, based in Maynooth, disclosed in their annual report that they had received a total of 252 reported allegations against personnel from the Catholic Church in the year ending in March. This presents a trend in line with the 251 allegations lodged with the board in the preceding year.
Among the 252 formal complaints that the board handled up until the end of March, 183 were related to sexual abuse, and an additional 26 concerns pertained to physical abuse. There were also 17 grievances of emotional abuse, one pertaining to neglect, and one about boundary violations. Furthermore, the board dealt with 24 allegations related to other forms of abuse.
Among the religious personnel implicated, 65 were diocesan while 187 were members of religious congregations, with nine of them currently serving prison sentences and 101 being deceased. The complainants comprised 167 males and 41 females.
The majority of these allegations stemmed from incidents that purportedly happened in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, with counts standing at 47, 92, and 57, respectively. However, the Board has also received four grievances dating to the year 2000 or later, including two related to sexual abuse, with one incident reported in 2023. One further physical abuse allegation also stems from the 2000s.
During the year ending in March, the board received a surge in the demand for safeguarding advice, with the number rising from 282 to 306. At present, every Catholic diocese in Ireland (26 in total) has undergone board reviews under the latest policy from 2016. The same dioceses, plus 50 religious congregations, have also finished their annual self-audit. Meanwhile, ten religious congregations are still underway with their individual self-audit processes, which tend to supplement board reviews.
In the previous year, the board finalised its revision of the ‘Safeguarding Children: Policy and Standards for the Catholic Church in Ireland’, receiving approval and coming into operation earlier this week. It is the last report presided over by CEO Teresa Devlin, who will retire after a decade in the role and a previous five-year stint as the Director of Safeguarding. Devlin emphasised the ongoing impact of child abuse within the church, cautioning against complacency and urging further efforts to address these issues in Ireland.
She expressed her gratitude towards the compassionate response of the majority of the church staff towards those raising complaints. These individuals honour the memory of the abused child every time a new case is reported, rather than forgetting the child who should have been protected and nurtured. Their sympathy while handling the hurt adult that the child ultimately grew into is commendable.
During her tenure with the board, she recounted that the most gratifying experiences were her interactions with the children, their guardians, and those who reported abuse. These encounters were often fraught with sadness and she confessed to having shed a plethora of tears as she thought of the pain induced by child abuse within the Catholic Church.
Furthermore, she expressed her encouragement upon seeing the commitment of the priests, religious and lay personnel as they aim to repair the damage in the aftermath of abuse allegations. The Board Chairman, Justice Garret Sheehan, expressed his gratitude towards Ms Devlin, praising her exceptional leadership over the previous 15 years.