Ferns diocese:The findings of the Ferns Report were yesterday welcomed by the apostolic administrator of the diocese, Bishop Eamonn Walsh.
Bishop Walsh again apologised to all the victims of clerical sex abuse and pledged to work to ensure that no such abuse is allowed to happen in the diocese again.
Bishop Walsh paid tribute to Mr Justice Frank Murphy and his inquiry team for their painstaking work, but he also acknowledged the courage of those who came forward to recount their horrific stories of sexual abuse at the hands of some 21 priests in the diocese over the past 40 years.
"This report has horrific accounts, and although I've been dealing with this for years, when you read such a litany of horrible gross abuse and rape all condensed together, it leaves you speechless. I can't imagine the courage it took to come forward on the part of the people who did come forward," he said.
Bishop Walsh said the report clearly highlighted the various experiences of those who were abused, including the fear of not being believed; being manipulated into thinking it was their fault; being angry towards those who may have had knowledge and did nothing, as well as possible permanent damage to their relationship with God.
"I yet again sincerely apologise to all who have suffered in these or any other way through the sexual abuse by priests of the diocese, for those who have been abused, or where that abuse was compounded by the response or lack of response of the diocese, words of apology cannot be left unspoken," he said.
Bishop Walsh said the report clearly pointed out that some priests who had been ordained in the diocese should never have been ordained.
He also acknowledged that some priests had wrongly remained silent, through either an erroneous sense of loyalty, or an unwillingness to believe a fellow priest could be an abuser.
"There is no doubt that abuse could have been avoided had there been better understanding and monitoring of all activities involving children and vulnerable young adults," said Bishop Walsh, adding that meeting many of the victims of abuse had been "a humbling and learning experience" for him.
He re-iterated his willingness to meet with any person abused by a priest of the diocese.
"The diocese is committed to ensuring that Ferns is as safe an environment for children as is possible. Today, it is important to state that no priest about whom there are child protection concerns are, or will be, permitted to minister in this diocese," he said.
Bishop Walsh also paid tribute to those still serving priests of the diocese for "their continued faithful service to the parishioners amidst the horror and the sorrow of discovering that some of their fellow priests had caused such dreadful suffering to innocent children".
He also pointed out that the priests of the diocese agreed with his belief that "everything should be on the table" for the inquiry team and the priests of the diocese had co-operated fully with him to implement a new regime.
Asked about his predecessor, Bishop Donal Herlihy's failure to tackle the problem of abusive priests over a 20-year period, Bishop Walsh said he didn't believe that people in 1966 had the same understanding of the effects of child abuse that society has now, but that did not excuse the failure to address the issue.
