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01/02/2008
Clerical Dispute Erupts Over Child Sex Abuse Inquiry
A bitter dispute has emerged between the Archbishop of Dublin and his predecessor over how to deal with the Government's inquiry into allegations of child sex abuse in the Archdiocese of Dublin.
While Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has a policy of open access to church files, the former Archbishop, Cardinal Desmond Connell, has initiated High Court proceedings to prevent documents being handed over to the enquiry.
Lawyers for Cardinal Connell, who is a hospital in Rome following a fall, secured an interim High Court injunction - in place until a full hearing on the matter next Monday, preventing the investigators from examining certain documents claiming they are legally privileged.
In a statement issued last night, Dr Martin said he hoped "that the legal matters which have now arisen will be dealt with expeditiously for all concerned so that the commission can conclude its work".
He added: "Since its inception, the archdiocese has refrained from making any comment on the work of the commission. That policy remains unchanged, (but) the overarching aim of all must be that of attaining a more accurate understanding of the truth concerning sexual abuse of children by clergy."
The commission was set up by the Government in March 2006 to investigate allegations of child abuse between January 1st 1975 and May 1st 2004, against a representative sample of 46 priests.
Cardinal Connell was archbishop of Dublin from March 1988 until his resignation on April 26th, 2004, when Dr Martin became archbishop.
(VB)
While Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has a policy of open access to church files, the former Archbishop, Cardinal Desmond Connell, has initiated High Court proceedings to prevent documents being handed over to the enquiry.
Lawyers for Cardinal Connell, who is a hospital in Rome following a fall, secured an interim High Court injunction - in place until a full hearing on the matter next Monday, preventing the investigators from examining certain documents claiming they are legally privileged.
In a statement issued last night, Dr Martin said he hoped "that the legal matters which have now arisen will be dealt with expeditiously for all concerned so that the commission can conclude its work".
He added: "Since its inception, the archdiocese has refrained from making any comment on the work of the commission. That policy remains unchanged, (but) the overarching aim of all must be that of attaining a more accurate understanding of the truth concerning sexual abuse of children by clergy."
The commission was set up by the Government in March 2006 to investigate allegations of child abuse between January 1st 1975 and May 1st 2004, against a representative sample of 46 priests.
Cardinal Connell was archbishop of Dublin from March 1988 until his resignation on April 26th, 2004, when Dr Martin became archbishop.
(VB)
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