Abuse Allegations Stun Ireland

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In Ireland, a major report on child abuse by Catholic religious orders is causing outrage. The report was released after nine years of investigation. It paints a damming portrait of a system that shielded child molesters from justice and trapped generations of Ireland's poorest children in misery. As NPR's Rob Gifford reports, some abuse survivors say the report doesn't go far enough.

ROB GIFFORD: The report published yesterday almost defies belief. A long litany of acts of horrific violence and cruelty by men and women entrusted with caring for vulnerable children. It finds that sexual abuse was endemic in boys' institutions and violence widespread in the girls' schools and orphanages run by Catholic orders. The report is also highly critical of the church's handling of complains, saying the religious orders covered up decades of abuse. Sean Ryan is the judge who headed up the inquiry and presented the report to the general public.

Judge SEAN RYAN (High Court Justice, Ireland): This is the end of a long journey for us and the commission. But that is little when set against the long search for justice and recognition by victims of institutional abuse.

GIFFORD: Ireland's Catholic religious orders ran more than 200 workhouse-style reform schools, as well as orphanages and hostels, right up until the mid 1990s. More than 30,000 children were placed there: babies of unmarried mothers, unmarried teenage mothers themselves, children who skipped school or were caught stealing, as well as ritual humiliation, beatings and rape. Survivors speak of slave labor conditions, manufacturing rosaries and of being constantly cold, hungry and thirsty. John Kelly was one of the children subjected to the regime. He is now the coordinator of the group Survivors of Child Abuse.

Mr. JOHN KELLY (Coordinator, Survivors of Child Abuse): The state and the constitution guarantees to protect all children, it failed to do so miserably. And the church, who says come unto me, children we will love and protect and cherish - that also failed to do so. And yet, none of these people are likely to be made accountable or brought before criminal courts. You will see why now these victims feel empty and cheated.

GIFFORD: Many survivors say the report does not bring them closure because the Christian Brothers, the religious order at the heart of the abuse charges, was still able to successfully sue the investigators to keep the identities of all their abusive members secret. Victims say for years the religious orders branded victims as money-seeking liars. The Christian Brothers yesterday issued an apology saying they were deeply sorry for the hurt caused. But for many victims that was not enough and some are now appealing to Pope Benedict to convene a special investigation. The leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady, said he too was profoundly sorry for what happened.

Cardinal SEAN BRADY (Catholic Church, Ireland): I still have in my mind the images of those little children being punished in this awful way and it upsets me very much. I'm saddened and shocked by it. And I'm sure many other people are, because children deserve so much better from us, and certainly, they have been let down.

GIFFORD: Ireland's Department of Education also came under fire for being too differential to church authority in not providing rigorous enough inspections of the schools. Critics said the department was even obstructive during the investigation. Although thousands of victims have received compensation, critics want to know why most of that is coming from the taxpayer. And they want a review of the 2002 deal that capped church payments at $175 million. That could be just a tenth of the amount that will finally be paid out.

Rob Gifford, NPR News, London.

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