Madam, - It is not correct to say that the Christian Brothers have spent years denying the contents of their files, including evidence of sexual abuse by some of their members (Mary Raftery's column, July 8th). Almost six years have passed since they first issued a message which included an acknowledgement and an apology.
Examination of the archives at the Congregation's headquarters in Rome has shown that there is clear evidence of decisive actions taken by the General Council on allegations of sexual abuse. Investigations and decisions were followed by action appropriate to each situation, including dismissal from the Congregation. These amount to the "formal trials" referred to by Ms Raftery.
The vast majority of the cases referred to in the General Council's archives in Rome took place before current and recent members of leadership teams were born or before they had entered the Congregation. Investigation of archival records by leadership, in these instances dating back up to seventy years, would normally be carried out as needs arose. All records and files on these matters are to be made available to the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse. The most recent archival search in Rome was done in early June of this year.
The Christian Brothers continue to assert that there was neither "widespread" nor "systematic" sexual abuse in institutions under their management. To make assertions to the contrary does not serve well the interests of truth, fairness and ultimately justice. To use the term "paedophilia" indiscriminately is dangerous, to say the least.
The leaders of the Christian Brothers in Ireland have no evidence available to them that "Brothers had actually admitted during the \ investigation [by the gardaí] that they had sexually abused boys." If Ms Raftery is aware of such names, as she seems to claim, then in the public interest, congregational leadership and the gardaí ought to be informed.
In grave matters such as this, it is unfair to arrogate to oneself the authority to write of the existence of "a significant number of acknowledged Christian Brother paedophiles \ have not been charged and will now not even be named."
Surely charging, naming and finally making findings of guilt or innocence must be left to the courts and the legal processes of the State. The DPP is an independent law officer.
Had the files sent to him by the investigating gardaí been sufficient, he would have directed the appropriate prosecutions to be made, rather than making the "one single solitary charge" which was brought.
The columnist refused to view either the position of the DPP or the discovery of evidence and its publication to the Commission as a positive advance. This illustrates the bias and unreasonableness of the position set out in her article. - Yours etc.,
Brother EDMUND GARVEY, Director of Communications, Christian Brothers, Dublin 7