Dublin diocese report - at a glance
The Report of the Commission of Investigation into the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin was set up in 2006 to investigate how Church and state authorities handled allegations of child abuse against 46 priests over a period from 1975 to 2004.
READ THE REPORT
The full report can be read at www.justice.ie
The full report can be read at www.justice.ie
• One priest admitted to sexually abusing over 100 children, while another accepted that he had abused on a fortnightly basis throughout his 25-year ministry.
• The Commission examined complaints in respect of over 320 children against 46 priests. Substantially more of the complaints relate to boys - the ratio is 2.3 boys to one girl.
• Of the 46 priests examined, 11 pleaded guilty to or were convicted in the criminal courts of sexual assaults on children.
• There was one clear case of a false accusation of child sexual abuse.
• The report found Dublin Archdiocese's pre-occupations in dealing with cases of child sexual abuse, at least until the mid 1990s, were the maintenance of secrecy, the avoidance of scandal, the protection of the reputation of the Church, and the preservation of its assets. All other considerations, including the welfare of children and justice for victims, were subordinated to these priorities.
• All the Archbishops of Dublin in the period covered by the Commission were aware of some complaints.
• The Church authorities failed to implement most of their own canon law rules on dealing with clerical child sexual abuse. This was in spite of the fact that a number of them were qualified canon and civil lawyers.
• A mother who contacted the Archdiocese to report that her daughter had been abused as a child was told that the daughter would have to make the complaint. When the mother made it clear that the daughter was unlikely to be able to make such a complaint, she was not even asked for the name of the priest.
• A number of very senior members of the Irish police regarded priests as being outside their remit. There are some examples of them actually reporting complaints to the Archdiocese instead of investigating them.
• The Church did not start to report complaints of child sexual abuse to the Irish police until late 1995
• The Commission examined complaints in respect of over 320 children against 46 priests. Substantially more of the complaints relate to boys - the ratio is 2.3 boys to one girl.
• Of the 46 priests examined, 11 pleaded guilty to or were convicted in the criminal courts of sexual assaults on children.
• There was one clear case of a false accusation of child sexual abuse.
• The report found Dublin Archdiocese's pre-occupations in dealing with cases of child sexual abuse, at least until the mid 1990s, were the maintenance of secrecy, the avoidance of scandal, the protection of the reputation of the Church, and the preservation of its assets. All other considerations, including the welfare of children and justice for victims, were subordinated to these priorities.
• All the Archbishops of Dublin in the period covered by the Commission were aware of some complaints.
• The Church authorities failed to implement most of their own canon law rules on dealing with clerical child sexual abuse. This was in spite of the fact that a number of them were qualified canon and civil lawyers.
• A mother who contacted the Archdiocese to report that her daughter had been abused as a child was told that the daughter would have to make the complaint. When the mother made it clear that the daughter was unlikely to be able to make such a complaint, she was not even asked for the name of the priest.
• A number of very senior members of the Irish police regarded priests as being outside their remit. There are some examples of them actually reporting complaints to the Archdiocese instead of investigating them.
• The Church did not start to report complaints of child sexual abuse to the Irish police until late 1995
In an effort to educate the public about the nature of pedophilia, sexual abuse, and exploitation of minors we post the following story courtesy of Infosecte. a Canadian organization. Pedophiles do not only target boys! Gender of victim is not of the essence. It is exercising power and control over a more vulnerable and less powerful person.
Montreal 'pastor' guilty of sexual exploitation
Daniel Cormier is already serving time for assaulting 10-year-old girl
The Gazette
December 18, 2009
MONTREAL – The founder and self-styled pastor of a defunct Christian sect – who is already serving time for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl he claims to have married – has been found guilty of sexual exploitation of another minor.Daniel Cormier, 58, who is already serving a five-year term, showed no emotion Friday as Quebec Court Judge Claude Leblond pronounced the verdict. Cormier, who fired his latest lawyer, did not testify and presented no witnesses.
Leblond said Cormier is guilty beyond any reasonable doubt of two counts of sexual exploitation in the latest case. It is an offence for someone in a position of trust or authority to have sexual contact with someone aged 16 to 18, even if there is consent. The victim was 16 and 17 when the crimes occurred.
The victim testified, in a video recording of her statement to police, that she fell head-over-heels in love with Cormier while she frequented his l’Église du Centre-Ville.
She said she once gave him a French kiss, but later he initiated sexual touching on two occasions. Cormier denied both incidents.
The judge found the teen’s version credible, and said he doubts Cormier allowed himself to become involved with her “innocently.”
“It is also not credible that an adolescent who thought she was ‘ugly, fat and stupid’ and was trying to get closer to God could have manipulated her pastor,” he ruled.
Leblond said he found it “revealing” that in his first statement to police, Cormier claimed the teenager was in love with him and had tried to excite him sexually.
Sentencing arguments are scheduled for Feb. 1. The maximum is five years in jail.
In the other case, Cormier claimed he was innocent of sex-abuse charges because he had “married” his 10-year-old victim.
The Crown, however, said the law was clear – the legal age for consensual sex is 14 and the age for a woman to marry in 1999 was 16.
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