In the report carried on the Religion page entitled Church criticised in abuse probe (TMIS, 30 October), regarding the sexual abuse of children by priests in Ireland, your correspondent seems to have been possibly unaware of a rather import-ant detail related to the case in question.

He failed to mention the fact that a file containing the statements made by the children who had been sexually abused in the Ferns diocese was somehow mislaid by Chief Superintendent Jim Doyle, who was in charge of the investigation. The evidence should have led to the prosecution of Father Jim Grennan for the abuse of children while they were preparing for their confirmation in the Monageer parish in April 1988.

Needless to say, the case had to be dropped and the priest in question was not even arrested, let alone removed from office. He thus remained at liberty to continue sexually abusing children to his heart’s content.

Curiously enough, however, the superintendent in question was then granted the Bene Merenti Award by the Church authorities. This prestigious award is normally only granted to people whose efforts have been of significant service to the Church. Is it a coincidence that this happened after the file containing the incriminating evidence mysteriously vanished into thin air? Was this the significant service rendered to the Church?

Could this be yet another practical example of the oft-repeated dictum that “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”?

Source:Irish Independent www.unison.ie

Louise Vella