Archbishop warns 'there are many more pedophiles in religious schools'

A high-ranking archbishop has voiced his concerns about the vast number of pedophiles revealed in the schools abuse report , cautioning that there are likely many more unreported cases. Diarmuid Martin, 79, who served as Dublin's archbishop from 2004 until his retirement in 2020, stated yesterday that the figures in the report do not fully represent the true extent of the horror .

He urged victims to come forward and expressed his support for a police investigation, as Irish authorities probe claims abuse in schools is linked to "organized pedophile rings" .

Martin also expressed his skepticism about whether Pope Francis has been informed about the Irish cases . He noted that the Pope had established protocols that must be followed when abuse is discovered or allegations are made, and called for "action to be taken" against anyone who fails to adhere to these guidelines.

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Dr Martin commented: "Sexual abuse of children is a vile thing. Sexual abuse of particularly vulnerable children is very shocking. The numbers are very high, for example, in fee-paying schools. Most people might have thought the Scoping Inquiry was primarily about those schools. This would mean the numbers at other schools is probably under-estimated and probably higher. The other Church boarding schools and the diocesan colleges are not there at all [in the report]."

He added: "I was very pleased to see a Garda statement, asking people to come forward, because if people realise that they will have a safe and friendly reception, they will come forward."

Dr Martin previously stated that the Catholic Church has been significantly impacted by the sexual abuse scandals, particularly affecting "the faith of young people".

On RTE Radio 1's Today Show with Claire Byrne, he said: "The descriptions in this Scoping Inquiry are shattering."

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"The damage is much wider than just the actual physical abuse. Child sex abuse takes away the entire self-esteem of a child."

"The abuser is saying to a child, 'I can do anything I like with you; you are worthless'. That drags right throughout their life. The sexual abuse doesn't just damage the child, it also damages the parents, spouses, and future generations."

This week saw the publication of the Scoping Inquiry report on historical sexual abuse in day and boarding schools run by religious orders.

The report detailed 2,395 sex abuse allegations against 884 alleged abusers at 308 religious orders' schools.

Irish police commissioner Drew Harris confirmed yesterday that police are investigating if the sex abuse was organised and co-ordinated by paedophile rings.

Archbishop Martin called for action against any Church leader who engaged in a cover-up of abuse yesterday. He is advocating for criminal prosecutions and compensation for victims.

He stated: "Leaders in some organisations were simply not following the norms. If an allegation was made against a priest in my diagnosis, I immediately took measures."

"Matters were reported to the guards. I hope that [allegations being ignored elsewhere] is not happening, but I can't say that it isn't."

He also remarked: "Many of the survivors are elderly and many of the perpetrators are elderly and will never get to [justice] if we don't start doing it quickly. Criminal prosecutions should continue and people have a right to be compensated."

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