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When school wasn't safe - a litany of church abuse and denial

A church in crisis over the hundreds of abusers who haunted generations of children. This week an inquiry uncovered 30 years of abuse in the Republic. Will justice now follow?

After the Ryan report, the Murphy report, the investigations into the Mother and Baby institutions, the Magdalene Laundries etc, it might feel that we can't be shocked by the scale and brutality of the terror inflicted on children by some members of the Catholic Church, and those who work in religious run institutions across Ireland.
And yet, what has now been revealed, by those investigating allegations of abuse in schools run by religious orders in the Republic, is indeed shocking. Almost two and a half thousand allegations of abuse by 884 alleged abusers in 308 schools across 24 counties over a thirty year period.
Most of those abused were men, 590 of the allegations were made by people who had attended 17 different special schools.
Will those victims get the justice they deserve and is it possible for the Catholic Church to ever completely regain the trust of the public? Presenter Audrey Carville in conversation with Naomi Gould of the 1 in 4 victims organisation, former priest Declan Coyle and the barrister Caoilfhionn Gallagher.

18 days left to listen

1 hour, 27 minutes

Broadcast

  • Sun 8 Sep 2024 08:30