Bishop Willie Walsh
Call for abusers to face "full rigours of the law"
The parish priest of Holy Cross in Belfast, Father Aidan Troy, has called on his native diocese of Dublin to open up its records on clerical child sexual abuse to the State authorities if asked to do so.
Meanwhile, the Garda authorities have responded to what they call widespread concern about the problem by consulting the Minister for Justice and promising to report whatever appropriate response is decided upon in due course.
Church under pressure over handling of abuse cases
In another development, Bishop Willie Walsh has said he did not report a priest he judged an abuser to the Gardaí because the Dublin diocese did this in 1992 by informing them where he lived and reminding the Gardaí of his past behaviour.
He said it would appear that the Archdiocese of Dublin did not adequately inform its priests about a Church court's decision to defrock Fr Tony Walsh, a known child abuser, in 1992. Fr Walsh was jailed for molesting a boy in Dublin in 1995 after attending a funeral in full clerical garb.
The Catholic Church is continuing to come under pressure over the handling of child sexual abuse cases by the Dublin diocese, originally highlighted in last week's Prime Time programme.
Calls for Cardinal to resign
Over the weekend there were calls for Cardinal Desmond Connell to resign and it now looks likely that the Government will establish an inquiry into the handling of abuse in the diocese of Ferns.
Bishop Walsh has said any member of the clergy accused of child sex abuse or who commits a criminal offence should face the full rigours of the law and be treated the same as any lay person.
He also said that if the structures of the Church were not working for its people, they should be changed and all persons should face criminal proceeding for crimes they had committed.
Bishop Walsh admitted that there had been a certain culture of secrecy and confidentiality in the Church which he said, has proved very damaging.
He said this accusation had to be looked at very seriously.
