Sunday, March 25, 2012

Lynch slams Church report

Minister of State Kathleen Lynch, has sharply criticised the Catholic Church visitation report into child abuse that was published last Tuesday.

The Cork North-Central TD was speaking to the Cork Independent following comments she made while on Newstalk’s Breakfast show.

The report recommended several items including separating seminarians from other students in third level and a review of teachers teaching religion in schools.

“I just think it’s another false dawn in a long line of false dawns for people who were abused by members of the church,” said the long serving TD.

“I’m not for one second suggesting that all members in the church are abusers. It was only a tiny portion of people who were responsible, but for people who suffered this was yet another false hope.”

The Minister went on to describe the methods of the report damaging and hurtful to members who were affected by its findings. The Minister also criticised church authorities for the way they approached the report, calling it an internal process rather than an inquiry.

“The way they use language that only they themselves can understand is a big problem. They called the trip an apostolic visitation  and until they change the way they communicate with those outside of the inner circle then it still ranks of the church of old.”

“They have to realise that we now live in a different world. Crucially however, I do see some progress in the report where the law of the land supercedes all other laws.”

Minister Lynch believes that the forthcoming Eucharistic Congress this summer will be well attended, but for different reasons than in the past.

“I think people will attend the Congress because they want to. Those are the sort of people you are going to see there, rather than people only there because they are worried of social exclusion or their neighbours may talk. People will attend who want to attend.”

When asked if disappointment in the report could jeopradize a possible papal visit to the country, Minister Lynch refuted such an idea.

“We would absolutely welcome the Pope if he should decide to visit the country. As leader of one of the largest churches in the world, he would be greeted warmly of course.”

Minister Lynch also dismissed claims that the church report could impact on the Government’s plans to reorganise the primary school system, stressing that disappointment in the report would be felt amongst the general public and church members and “would not have any impact on Government policy.”

The seven page report was published in Maynooth by the Catholic Primate Cardinal Sean Brady, Archbishop of Dublin Dr Diarmuid Martin, the papal nuncio Archbishop Charles Brown and secretary general of the Conference of Religious of Ireland Sr Marianne O’Connor.