FERNS:THE DIOCESE of Ferns has been "in receipt of no allegation of child sexual abuse involving any priest - or former priest - which it has not shared with the Garda and the health board," Bishop Denis Brennan of Ferns has said.
He also said that "all allegations of child sexual abuse involving priests - and former priests - of the Diocese of Ferns, have been handled in line with written guidelines as have issued from both State and church".
But he appealed to the Government to introduce "the necessary legislation to facilitate inter -agency exchange of information necessary to assess and manage risk in co-operation with organisations which work with children and young people".
Speaking during the Epiphany Mass at Bride Street Church in Wexford town yesterday Dr Brennan said that "in the wake of recent allegations suggesting lack of compliance by church authorities in the area of reporting clerical child sexual abuse," he wished to say that "the Diocese of Ferns accepted the findings and recommendations of the Ferns Inquiry when they were issued on October 25th, 2005."
He said "the issue of safeguarding children has remained a priority concern" for the diocese; "awareness, training and the improvement of existing structures has continued since October 2005, as has the commissioning of parish representatives and ongoing outreach and engagement with victims and their families, where permitted, requested or appropriate".
Parishes were guided "by the diocesan policy and code of conduct as were issued . . . in June 2003 and reissued in progressed format in December 2004. Both policy and code are open to review in light of . . . best practice."
Ferns was guided in all dealings regarding allegations of child sexual abuse by the Holy See directive of 2001, Sacramentorum sanctitatis tutela and by the diocesan advisory panel. It was also guided by inter-agency meetings - "an initiative (and practice) of the Diocese of Ferns since 2002 and a subsequent recommendation of the Ferns Inquiry Report in October 2005, where the bishop and diocesan child-protection personnel meet with senior representatives of both the gardaí and the HSE to share information and concerns".
At the most recent such inter-agency meeting, all three disclosed that none had been in receipt of any allegations against a priest or former priest of Ferns.
Ferns was also guided by the National Board for Safeguarding Children, "whose expertise has been requested . . . on specific occasions," the bishop said.
He added: "all recommendations received from the Holy See, the diocesan advisory panel, the inter-agency meetings and national office have been both accepted and implemented by the diocese".
