The Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh, yesterday launched new diocesan guidelines aimed at ensuring that sexual abuse of children involved in church-related activities will not occur in the future.
The bishop said he was painfully aware of past failures in this area, and expressed regret for deep hurt caused by such failures.
Speaking at the publication of "Keeping Children Safe - Child Protection Guidelines" in Ennis, Co Clare, Bishop Walsh said the Killaloe diocese was committed to continuing to ask victims to try to begin the journey of forgiveness, "always acknowledging that for some the pain is still too deep even to set out on that journey".
The guidelines are aimed at people who work with children in Catholic communities through the diocese.
"I believe that the church has turned the corner in terms of public awareness on the issue and the protection of children," said Bishop Walsh.
"We have learned a lot along the way.
"It was often been very painful and distressful; obviously the great pain and the great distress has been with the victims, but it has been a painful lesson for us as well."
Bishop Walsh said the complaints from the past will keep occurring, and very often complaints come when people who have been abused reach a crisis point in their lives.
He said the emphasis going forward will be on the protection of children.
But he stressed there will always be a compassionate and sympathetic response to any person who wishes to make a report or complaint about abuse from the past.
Bishop Walsh said the guidelines "are a statement not only about our commitment to child protection, but also of the whole need to be open about the issue, to be accountable and to have our policies transparent".
The template for the guidelines are the National Guidelines for the Protection and Welfare of Children published by the Department of Health and Children.
The bishop said if adults follow those guidelines, they can work with children fully confident of their own safety and good name as well.
The guidelines advise that being alone with a child or a young person is not appropriate practice; and where abuse is suspected or disclosed, the one thing individuals must not do is nothing.
The guidelines are to be distributed to parish communities across the diocese.
During the coming weekend, leaflets containing a summary of the guidelines will be available to all parishioners.
