Republic's 'collusion' in sexual abuse

Former police ombudsman Nuala O'Loan entered the House of Lords as Baroness O'Loan in September 2009.  She is a devout Roman Catholic and in an article for The Irish Catholic she has spoken very plainly about the sexual abuse of children by Roman Catholic priests in the Irish Republic and about the 'collusion' of the state and state agencies.

Referring to the recent report on sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic diocese of Dublin, she said that she was shocked to learn how state agencies protected abusers from being discovered and punished.  'The failings articulated in the Murphy report are not just the failings of the Church.  They are also the failings of the state and they are equally grave.'

In her article she criticised the apostolic nuncio in Dublin, Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza, for failing to cooperate with the investigation.  [The apostolic nuncio is the diplomatic representative of the Vatican in Ireland.]  Baroness O'Loan said this was 'totally unacceptable' given that the Murphy inquiry was an official investigation into highly serious allegations. 

'How could anyone sacrifice little children in this way in order to protect an institution, which by these very actions became collusive in the crimes of the abusers?'

Condemnation is now being directed at:

1. the priests who carried out the sexual abuse of children

2. the Roman Catholic church officials who covered it up and moved abusive priests from parish to parish to prevent them being discovered and tried before the courts - in this way they colluded in the crimes.

3. the state agencies who protected abusers from being discovered and punished and also colluded in the crimes.