There is “no perfect option” for the type of inquiry to be set up to examine allegations of abuse at schools run by the Spiritans religious order, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said.
The Government has stressed that the process of establishing an inquiry will be victim-led, Mr Varadkar reiterated, adding that he would like to avoid a “a highly legalistic in private, statutory investigation that is so wide-ranging and involves so many lawyers that it doesn’t report for five or six years, and that is a risk”.
But Mr Varadkar also added: “What matters is what the survivors think.”
He said: “There’s no perfect option, and I think it’s important we engage with the survivors and go through with them what the pros and cons of the different models are.”
Sexual abuse of children by priests was known ‘at all levels’ in Catholic Church, says Archbishop of Dublin
Spiritan abuse survivor group raises concern statutory inquiry could set back justice and support programmes
Catholic Church child protection board received 252 abuse allegations
German Protestant churches riddled with sexual abuse and cover-ups, report finds
Coalition leaders are due to discuss the matter at their meeting on Monday evening ahead of a Dáil debate on abuse in schools later in the week. Minister for Education Norma Foley is expected to engage with victims’ groups, religious orders and the Attorney General in the coming days.
There is also to be Government consultation with Opposition politicians.
it’s important we engage with the survivors and go through the pros and cons of the different models with them
The Spiritan Congregation, formerly the Holy Ghost Fathers, last week issued a public apology to victims and announced that an independent group would engage with survivors of abuse at its schools and institutions. At least 233 men have made allegations of abuse against 77 Spritan priests, and the religious order has paid €5 million in settlements towards abuse and supports services since 2004.
The abuse allegations go back as far as the 1970s, and involve schools that were managed by the Holy Ghost Order, including Dublin’s Blackrock College.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin repeated on Saturday that there will be a public inquiry. “It is sickening and it is shocking what has happened in terms of the scale and nature of the abuse,” he said. “We have to take on board the views of victims and also identify the most effective way to conduct an inquiry.”
In an interview on RTÉ Radio One on Sunday, Mr Varadkar said the advantage of a non-statutory inquiry of the kind which Dr Gabriel Scally carried out into the cervical cancer screening controversy is that it can be “very survivor-focused” and carried out in around a year. However, he said such inquiries cannot compel documents to be produced or witnesses to appear.
Mr Varadkar said the power to compel documents may be required but he also said “a lot of that will depend on the willingness of the Spiritans to cooperate.”
Asked if the inquiry should include to other schools and religious orders, Mr Varadkar said that could be done in different modules.
Garda sources said they expected the force would be asked to play some part in any public inquiry. This included the sharing of information about complaints made to the Garda by those who were abused at Spiritan, and perhaps other, schools.
The sources also said the manner in which complaints were investigated by the Garda in the past may also come under scrutiny at a public inquiry, as victims relayed accounts of their abuse and efforts to report it.
The Garda said it would “deal with any matters reported by complainants in a sensitive manner and will, where possible, progress matters through investigation”
The Garda has said six people have come forward over the last week to make complaints of abuse. It added it would “deal with any matters reported by complainants in a sensitive manner and will, where possible, progress matters through investigation”.
However, it said efforts to investigate many complaints may become limited due to “loss of evidence over time or suspects and/or witnesses being deceased”. In such cases, gardaí would deal directly with complainants and “diligently explain” the impact of the “limitations” in their cases.
