Kirchenakte Documented events from judgments, reports and church documents
1975-2013 · 38 years · show in timeline

Ireland 1975 to 2013: Safeguarding reviews by the Church watchdog count allegations against 26 priests in Cork and Ross, 18 in Limerick and 21 in the Society of African Missions and document earlier transfers of accused priests

The child safeguarding board NBSCCCI, set up by the Irish Church, reviewed dioceses and orders in 2012 and 2013 on their handling of abuse allegations since 1975. In Cork and Ross there were allegations against 26 priests, four of whom were convicted; in Limerick against 18 priests, in Clogher against 13, and in the Society of African Missions against 21 priests. The reports praise current practice but describe earlier failures: in Clonfert the bishop moved accused priests to other parishes, in Clogher according to the report opportunities to intervene were consistently missed, and in Limerick a former bishop gave a priest faculties despite knowing of abuse in England. Three priests convicted of child abuse in Britain moved to Cork without the diocese being adequately informed.

Period
1975-2013 (38 years)
Country
Ireland, United Kingdom
Institutions
National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland
Diocese of Cork and Ross
Diocese of Limerick
Diocese of Clonfert
Diocese of Clogher
Society of African Missions
Category
Sexual abuse, Cover-up
Level of evidence
A Primary source · what does this mean?

What happened to the people

Who was affected? Victims and numbers

  1. According to the statistical tables of the review reports, since 1 January 1975 allegations were made against 26 priests of the Diocese of Cork and Ross, four of whom were convicted, against 18 priests of the Diocese of Limerick, against 13 priests of the Diocese of Clogher, against three priests of the Diocese of Clonfert, one of whom was convicted, and against 21 priests of the Irish Province of the Society of African Missions, one of whom was convicted. The term allegation also includes complaints and expressions of concern.
    Evidence: National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, Table 1
    „Number of priests incardinated into the Diocese of Cork and Ross against“
    Review of Safeguarding Practice in the Diocese of Cork and Ross, Table 1. Original
    Evidence: National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, Table 1
    „Number of priests incardinated into the Diocese of Limerick“
    Review of Safeguarding Practice in the Diocese of Limerick, Table 1. Original
    Evidence: National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, Table 1
    „Number of priests incardinated into the Diocese of Clogher against“
    Review of Safeguarding Practice in the Diocese of Clogher, Table 1. Original
    Evidence: National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, Table 1
    „Number of priests incardinated into the Diocese of Clonfert against whom“
    Review of Safeguarding Practice in the Diocese of Clonfert, Table 1. Original
    Evidence: National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, Table 1
    „Number of SMA Irish Province priests against whom allegations“
    Review of Safeguarding Practice in the Society of African Missions (SMA), Table 1. Original
    Evidence: National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, Table 1, Fußnote
    „Footnote: The term allegation in this table includes complaints and expressions of concern“
    Review of Safeguarding Practice in the Society of African Missions (SMA), Table 1, Fußnote. Original

Background

Response of the Church

  1. In Clonfert, in two cases from the 1990s, the bishop moved the accused priests to other parishes, believing that separating priest and young person would solve the problem; according to the report he now sees how naive this was and that it gave children no protection. A 1993 allegation against one of the priests was not reported to the authorities at the time. In Clogher, according to the report, opportunities for intervention were consistently missed: a priest suspected of multiple incidents of abuse remained in ministry, was transferred and then sent overseas; he was extradited years later but died before a trial.
    Evidence: National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, Management of Allegations
    „moved the priests against whom allegations were made to“
    Review of Safeguarding Practice in the Diocese of Clonfert, Management of Allegations. Original
    Evidence: National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, Management of Allegations
    „how naive this perception was and that this was an inappropriate response and provided“
    Review of Safeguarding Practice in the Diocese of Clonfert, Management of Allegations. Original
    Evidence: National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, Management of Allegations
    „1993 allegation against priest “B” was not reported at that time.“
    Review of Safeguarding Practice in the Diocese of Clonfert, Management of Allegations. Original
    Evidence: National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, The Management of Allegations
    „opportunities for preventive interventions were consistently missed when concerns of“
    Review of Safeguarding Practice in the Diocese of Clogher, The Management of Allegations. Original
    Evidence: National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, The Management of Allegations
    „suspected of multiple incidents of abuse, but he was not removed from ministry,“
    Review of Safeguarding Practice in the Diocese of Clogher, The Management of Allegations. Original
    Evidence: National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, The Management of Allegations
    „several years later but died before he could be brought before the courts“
    Review of Safeguarding Practice in the Diocese of Clogher, The Management of Allegations. Original
  2. In Limerick, according to the reviewers, practice before 1996 was very poor and in one case potentially dangerous: a former bishop, apparently knowing of a priest's abuse in England, gave him faculties to minister in Limerick, where he may have abused again. In Cork and Ross priests from British dioceses retired into the area without their home dioceses adequately informing about them; three of them had been convicted of child abuse in Britain. Several dioceses and the Society of African Missions used to report allegations only to the police, believing the police would inform the health services, which did not happen in practice.
    Evidence: National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, Case files
    „Prior to Bishop Murray, practice was very poor and in our view, in one case“
    Review of Safeguarding Practice in the Diocese of Limerick, Case files. Original
    Evidence: National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, Case files
    „whilst apparently having knowledge of a priest’s abusive behaviour in England,“
    Review of Safeguarding Practice in the Diocese of Limerick, Case files. Original
    Evidence: National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, Management of Allegations
    „on the status of these priests was not as forthcoming as it should have been from their“
    Review of Safeguarding Practice in the Diocese of Cork and Ross, Management of Allegations. Original
    Evidence: National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, Management of Allegations
    „convicted of child abuse in the UK prior to their moving to Cork.“
    Review of Safeguarding Practice in the Diocese of Cork and Ross, Management of Allegations. Original
    Evidence: National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, Management of Allegations
    „that operated in a number of dioceses, where it was believed that a notification to An“
    Review of Safeguarding Practice in the Diocese of Cork and Ross, Management of Allegations. Original
    Evidence: National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, Table 1, Erläuterung
    „this would automatically result in An Garda Síochána notifying the health services, but“
    Review of Safeguarding Practice in the Society of African Missions (SMA), Table 1, Erläuterung. Original

See also

Original documents to read

  1. Church document
    National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland: Review of Safeguarding Practice in the Diocese of Cork and Ross, 5 September 2012. Original (retrieved 31 Oct 2026)
  2. Church document
    National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland: Review of Safeguarding Practice in the Diocese of Limerick, 5 September 2012. Original (retrieved 31 Oct 2026)
  3. Church document
    National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland: Review of Safeguarding Practice in the Diocese of Clonfert, 5 September 2012. Original (retrieved 31 Oct 2026)
  4. Church document
    National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland: Review of Safeguarding Practice in the Diocese of Clogher, 24 April 2013. Original (retrieved 31 Oct 2026)
  5. Church document
    National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland: Review of Safeguarding Practice in the Society of African Missions (SMA), 24 April 2013. Original (retrieved 31 Oct 2026)
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