Dressed in ceremonial black robes and others in uniform, about 40 members of the “association” of the Order of Malta gathered in St Mary’s Church in south Dublin in late June to welcome a dozen new entrants into the organisation’s inner circle.
While the public face of the Order of Malta is its ambulance corps of 2,500 first-aid volunteers, the organisation is governed by an association of about 160 members, known as knights and dames of the lay religious order, which in Ireland traces its history to the 12th century.
The annual St John’s Day Mass, one of the most important events of the year for the association, would usually be attended by upwards of 80 members, one source said. This year only about half that number filed into the church on Haddington Road, as a cloud of controversy hangs over the organisation.
In early May the second of two former ambulance corps volunteers was jailed over the sexual abuse of two 15-year-old boys, in a case that has brought a spotlight on to the organisation’s child protection standards.
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The main perpetrator, Scott Browne from Co Kildare, was jailed for 9½ years in 2020 for sexually abusing two 15-year-olds in separate incidents in May 2018. Both teenagers were molested by Browne after they were rendered unconscious by a powerful pain-relief drug he stole from the order.
Another former Co Kildare volunteer, Jordan Murphy, was jailed for 5½ years at the start of May after he pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting Browne.
In response the Order of Malta launched an internal investigation to review the cases and wider child-protection standards. The review is being conducted by its chief executive John Byrne, his predecessor Peadar Ward, and retired assistant Garda commissioner Fintan Fanning.
Recent weeks have seen significant disquiet among members of the association over the controversy. It is understood internally some have pushed for the resignation of one senior figure in the organisation, who to date remains in place.
The organisation’s board, known as the council, has been consumed with the fallout as well as concerns over what further revelations may emerge.
The Irish Times previously reported that two complaints had been made to the organisation about Browne allegedly sexually assaulting young men in the ambulance corps, prior to him abusing the two 15-year-olds in 2018. The ongoing internal review is to examine how those previous complaints were responded to at the time.
Now further internal documentation, seen by The Irish Times, show concerns were raised about how the organisation handled previous sexual abuse allegations made against a different former ambulance corps volunteer.
In 2013 an 18-year-old volunteer made a complaint alleging a senior officer had made inappropriate sexual comments to him when he was underage.
During an internal investigation into the claims it emerged an allegation of sexual abuse had been made about the male officer by another teenage member three years earlier.
A young male volunteer had claimed the accused tied him up in a store room before sexually abusing him, which the man denied. Internal efforts to examine the abuse allegations at the time were stood down after the alleged victim became nervous about proceeding with the process.
The 2013 investigation recommended the Order of Malta review whether it had “failed” in its duty of care by not proceeding with the inquiry, despite the hesitation of the alleged victim. The organisation would not confirm if this proposed review ever took place.
In another instance a male volunteer was found to have breached child-protection rules in several incidents in 2010, according to a draft internal investigation report. The adult was found to have driven a 15-year-old to training in his car unaccompanied, which the report warned could “seriously compromise the reputation” of the ambulance corps.
The volunteer had been warned about breaching child-protection guidelines two years earlier, after having underage members attend training sessions and events at his home and elsewhere outside his unit’s meeting place.
The Order of Malta said the accused volunteers in both cases were no longer members of the organisation. A spokeswoman said that as the matters were “historical” the organisation “cannot comment further without a more robust review of the facts”. Both cases would be examined by its ongoing internal review, she added.
Increasingly volunteers have been warned about leaking information to the media, with a letter sent to all staff and officers following queries from The Irish Times about past cases.
The June 24th letter advised that rank-and-file volunteers were to be directed not to “entertain” any approaches from journalists seeking information. The correspondence, marked “internal communication only”, stated that any queries should be directed to the chief executive.
As members await the findings of the ongoing review into child-protection standards, many now look to the election of a new council in October, which will likely bring to the fore tensions within the organisation over the current controversy.
