Statement from Bishop John Buckley, Bishop of Cork and Ross on the publication of the Cloyne Report
Bishop Buckley said today
that he was very saddened at the revelations in the Cloyne report that
the suffering of innocent people was further compounded by the failure
to deal with their allegations effectively.
It is also distressing, he
said, that the faith of many people has been further damaged by what has
been revealed in these reports.
Bishop Buckley added, that as he has stated publically on several
occasions, the Diocese of Cork and Ross has shared all allegations that
it has received with the statutory authorities, the Gardai and the HSE,
as well as the National Board for Safe-guarding Children in the
Catholic Church and the Holy See.
We are and we will continue to
co-operate fully with these agencies.
Our Diocesan procedures for safeguarding children are now underpinned
by Child Protection Representatives in every parish who have been
trained for their work.
We hope and pray that the robust and monitored
structures which are now in place will ensure that all allegations are,
and will be, dealt with properly.
There is some consolation, he concluded, that these inadequacies were
first discovered and highlighted by the Church’s own independent
safeguarding body, the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the
Catholic Church.