Bishop welcomes terms of Murphy inquiry

Bishop Eamonn Walsh who replaced Dr Brendan Comiskey as Apostolic Administrator of Ferns has welcomed the terms of reference of The Murphy Inquiry.

Bishop Walsh reiterated that both he and the priests of the Diocese had pledged full co-operation to the Inquiry.

He said this determination to co-operate would help to establish the full truth and hopefully contribute significantly to the healing process of those who have been so dreadfully abused.

The non-statutory inquiry into the handling of allegations of child sexual abuse by priests from the Diocese of Ferns is to produce an interim report within a year, if it fails to produce its full findings by then.

The Minister for Health, Micheál Martin, made the announcement today along with nine other terms of reference.

The investigation will be headed by retired Supreme Court judge, Mr Justice Frank Murphy.

The foundations for this inquiry were laid by Senior Counsel George Bermingham who advised the Government on how best to investigate Ferns following Bishop Comiskey's resignation over his handling of complaints against the late Father Sean Fortune.

Mícheál Martin said George Bermingham's report had outlined the most effective way of carrying out the inquiry.

The inquiry will also identify what other complaints and allegations which were made against Ferns clergy prior to 10 April last and it will report on the response to them by the Church and any public authorities which received them.

It will get statutory powers if the Minister is advised that there is even a suggestion that Church or State authorities are witholding co-operation.

The Minister also revealed that two women will join Mr Justice Murphy on the inquiry team. They are Dr. Helen Buckley, a specialist in child protection who lectures in the Department of Social Studies in Trinity College Dublin; and Dr. Laraine Joyce, the Deputy Director of the Office for Health Management.

The Bishop of Ferns, Dr Brendan Comiskey, resigned last year amid criticism of the way he had dealt with child sex abuse charges against religious figures in his diocese.

One In Four, a group which offers support for people who have been subject to rape and abuse, also welcomed the announcement of the Terms of Reference.

Colm O'Gorman, Director of One in Four and one of the survivors of abuse, whose revelations on a BBC programme last year contributed to the establishment of the inquiry, welcomed the announcement as 'a groudbreaking and vital first step in determining the way Church and State responded to abuse.'