Pope Francis may have duped some with his feigned softened approach towards gays and his acts of humility, but where it counts, little has changed in the Roman Catholic Church since Francis' ascension to the thrown of St. Peter. Nowhere is this more clear than in the context of inquiries into sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy. Lies, cover ups and obstruction of justice remain the norm rather than the exception. In Ireland where the sex abuse scandal has been staggering in magnitude (as was the cover up by high Church clerics) accusations are being made that the Church is still trying to obstruct authorities investigating crimes against children and youths.
Irish Central has details. Here are excerpts:
Ian Elliott, the author of several reports into child sexual abuse in
Irish dioceses, has made the claims in an interview with the
Sunday Independent.
Leader of the board’s investigations until last year, Elliott told
the paper that believes that efforts have been made to curtail further
probes by starving investigators of resources.
He said: “I can see no justification for this other than a desire to limit the role of the board by covert means.”
The report says that Elliott’s claims will embarrass the Catholic
hierarch in Ireland as it tries to move on from endless allegations of
child abuse by clerics and criticism of its handling of cases.
An independent organization, the board previously led by Elliott is
funded by three major Catholic bodies – the Conference of Religious in
Ireland, the Irish Missionary Union and the Irish Bishop’s Conference.
All three refused to comment but funding for the body has been cut by
over $150,000 between 2010 to 2012 when it received just shy of a
million dollars.
In the interview, Elliott was critical of the insistence by church
authorities that the board must be invited into Catholic bodies to
conduct investigations.
He said: “Ideally, the board should be given the authority to require access where they believe circumstances warrant it.
The report says he added that there had been a history of ‘cover-up’
in the Catholic Church and it was important that structures now be put
in place which would no longer allow this to happen.
The Irish government is to study Elliott’s claims. Its lead adviser
on child protection Geoffrey Shannon told the paper it is essential that
there be a strong, well-funded oversight mechanism for the Catholic
Church.
Shannon said: “I think it would be a matter of profound concern if
funding was to be cut at the expense of ensuring a robust child
protection system.”
Jerry Buttimer, the chair of the parliament’s Health and Children
Committee, called on the religious bodies to explain why the funding had
been cut.
Buttimer said: “There is a need for an explanation. If someone of the
stature and calibre of Ian Elliott is raising concerns it is a very
serious issue.”
As I have asked before, when will Pope Francis clean house and sack those who participated in the worldwide cover ups?
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