A public inquiry is needed to establish the whole truth
Posted by Jim on July 24, 2026
Statue of Mary outside a building.
By The Irish News
July 24, 2026 at 6:00am BST
We have had many previous major inquiries into clerical child abuse, which helped to establish the full appalling scale of the issue, but the latest report released earlier this week is among the most harrowing to date.
It is absolutely essential that the document called Investigation Into Experiences of Victims and Survivors of Historical Clerical Child Abuse, written by Prof Tim Chapman, helps to ensure that the appalling errors of judgment made by a range of institutions in the past can never be repeated.
The initiative was based on the oral accounts of 37 survivors – 24 men and 13 women – with 25 of them linked to the Catholic Church, ten from a Protestant background and two with no present religious affiliation.
It noted that, while public awareness of the wider scandal had been predominantly within Catholicism, the research confirmed that clerical abuse was an institutional issue across most religious denominations.
Some profoundly shocking individual accounts were detailed, including the case of one woman who was subjected to serious sexual and physical abuse by a Protestant pastor who was described as having a particular interest in young girls.
He was said to be associated with “demon culture”, told her she had the “spirit of Jezebel”, and beat her so badly when she resisted his advances that she feared she had suffered broken ribs.
A Catholic woman was subjected to years of grooming by a priest, with the perpetrator offering to support her therapeutically, as part of an overall experience she regarded as “soul murder”.
The authors of a related report on safeguarding measures said progress had been made through the development of policies for faith-based organisations, but some “notable challenges and inconsistencies” still remained.
It is positive that first minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy first minister Emma Little-Pengelly have spoken of their commitment to engaging with victims and survivors, and strengthening safeguarding protections in faith settings, but much more needs to be done.
The Northern Ireland Survivor Council has specifically said that it is calling for a new era of safeguarding reform, “built on collaboration, accountability, and shared responsibility”.
Attention will now switch to the prospect of a public inquiry, an option which will plainly need to be urgently considered by the Executive Office in the coming months.
Similar previous exercises have not always delivered credible and comprehensive outcomes, but the victims and survivors have clearly indicated that this is the direction in which they want the authorities to go.
In all the circumstances, there will be an expectation that a public inquiry, with firm and appropriate terms of reference, will be confirmed with the minimum of delay.