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No exceptions for priests in child abuse legislation

Catholic confession will not get special treatment in new laws over reporting child abuse, the government has confirmed.

PRIESTS HEARING CONFESSION will not be excused from new laws making it illegal not to pass on allegations of child abuse, the government has confirmed.

The legislation drawn up in the wake of the Cloyne report, which revealed widespread cover-ups of child abuse allegations within the Catholic hierarchy, will make it mandatory for all such allegations to be reported to gardaí. Suggestions that the new laws would break the confessional seal have sparked an angry reaction among some clerics – with Cardinal Seán Brady saying it “undermines [...] the right of every Catholic to freedom of religion”.

However, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice today told TheJournal.ie that mandatory reporting “will apply regardless of any internal rules of any religious grouping”. Saying that the “central focus” of the law was child protection, the spokesperson said a culture of not reporting in the past had led to sexual predators believing they have “impunity” in preying on children.

There was some confusion over the planned legal changes after justice minister Alan Shatter told the Irish Times yesterday that confession would not be mentioned in the legislation. However, the Department of Justice spokesperson today confirmed that although the confessional seal would not be picked out by name, it would still be covered by the law.

Minister Shatter told the paper that the controversy over the confessional seal was a “bogus issue”. It’s understood the legislation is currently with the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality, and the government is hoping to bring it to the Dáil by the end of October.

Read more: The Cloyne Report – who’s saying what>

Read more: Cloyne report findings ‘could not be starker or more disturbing’>

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63 Comments
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    Mute jinn
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    Feb 7th 2017, 11:49 AM

    Travellers

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    Mute Alan Cooke
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    Feb 7th 2017, 11:47 AM

    What happened to the “family” members well known to the Gardai? Were they dyed for injuries caused? Did they get time? What happened ?

    152
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    Mute Alan Cooke
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    Feb 7th 2017, 11:48 AM

    Sued……

    66
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    Mute Fozz
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    Feb 7th 2017, 12:02 PM

    @Alan Cooke: Don’t be ridiculous.
    The taxpayer pays for it all..sure aren’t we loaded.
    You’d find the family involved haven’t two pennies to rub together…

    120
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    Mute Eoin Fitzpatrick
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    Feb 7th 2017, 12:52 PM

    I feel for the Garda, it’s a rough line of work, especially having to deal with this section of society that is encouraged by our Government to continue living in the filthy, disgusting manner that they do.
    I have always said that they get away with murder because the Garda are afraid of them. If a tax payer like myself was to drive for 5 minutes without tax or insurance I’d have squad cars all over me. The people in question are a law unto themselves. It’s not a f*cking culture, it’s not a race, it’s bunch of criminals taking the piss and taking our money.
    I’m no right wing xenophobe, I’d take 1000 Syrian refugees over having one more of these f*ckers in our country. Who do you think would contribute more to society?
    Break them up for good, stop their benefits, stop giving them ANYTHING and lay the f*cking law down on them once and for all.

    139
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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Feb 7th 2017, 1:20 PM

    Eoin. Every Prison in the country has a population of them. But is it a deterence, No. When members of your family have been continually locked up going back a dozen generations it becomes normal for them. So blaming the Gardai is pointless.

    37
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    Mute Michael Lynch
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    Feb 7th 2017, 2:20 PM

    @Eoin Fitzpatrick. Well said. They’re nothing but a blight on Irish society.

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    Mute Row
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    Feb 7th 2017, 4:12 PM

    @Eoin Fitzpatrick: Well said Eoin. Unfortunately these gutter rats are the one’s that get the most protection and assistance from the state. Our justice system is nothing but a disgrace.

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    Mute Eoin Fitzpatrick
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    Feb 7th 2017, 4:47 PM

    I forgot to mention their Sharia law for women…

    12
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    Mute John B
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    Feb 7th 2017, 11:37 AM

    I don’t understand why there isn’t an insurance policy to deal with these cases. Surely this would take out the high court and legal fees and save the state thousands.

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    Mute Eugene Comaskey
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    Feb 7th 2017, 12:17 PM

    @john B; The state wouldn’t work that way, but I’m sure they could have settled through mediation without going to court.

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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Feb 7th 2017, 3:00 PM

    John B. Let’s say for argument sake that they were insured through a private insurance company. So being realistic because of the nature of the Job the premiums for each individual Garda average out at €5000 per year. With 13,000 Gardai that equates to €15 Million per year in Premiums. Now ask yourself does the state pay out €15 Million per year in Garda compensation claims? So which is the cheaper option for the tax payer?

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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Feb 7th 2017, 3:06 PM

    Sry that should be €5,000 x 13,000 Gardai = €65 Million in Premiums.

    16
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    Mute Paul
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    Feb 7th 2017, 11:37 AM

    90,000 is a lot and while I am not saving he doesn’t deserve it, it plays into the whole compo and insurance problems in Ireland…

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    Mute OnTheOutside
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    Feb 7th 2017, 12:15 PM

    @Paul: The real question is, how much will the people who started and caused the problem have to pay? €0. Can we seriously consider getting a protest going for justice in this country and we get it sorted once and for all.

    72
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    Mute Eye_c_u
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    Feb 7th 2017, 12:20 PM

    Not only will the travellers not pay a cent but you will continue to pay their welfare and pay for the house they wrecked and the house currently wrecking

    120
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    Mute Kenneth O Brien
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    Feb 7th 2017, 12:35 PM

    Sounds like people that would say howya boss

    77
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    Mute Stephen Maher
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    Feb 7th 2017, 11:51 AM

    Ah cmon, he got involved in a fight with a load of drunken people and was awarded 90k
    That sort of thing happens to people every weekend.

    He deserved a few bob for the hassle but 90k…

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    Mute Ciara Baines
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    Feb 7th 2017, 11:59 AM

    @Stephen Maher: “That sort of thing happens to people every weekend.”

    Really? Know a lot of people that get told ‘“I’m going to have you shot McGowan, you b&stard” and “I know where you live. We’ll burn you out.” while doing their job every weekend?

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    Mute Sean @114
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    Feb 7th 2017, 1:32 PM

    What’s €90K going to do for him with respect to somebody shouting abuse at him? Look your man hit his arm to break free and he received ‘soft tissue damage’. To you and I this is a common day bruise, nothing more. We all know that this is a compo gravy train, for the solicitors, the claimants, the staff employed to process the claims etc. It’s a great excuse for insurance companies to profiteer through increasing premiums also. It’s the modern day equivalent of the army deafness claim debacle some years back. If somebody is seriously hurt due to state negligence then they should receive compensation. I’m struggling to see how the state is negligent in this case where a garda effectively received a bruise. What happened to the colleague? Has he/she also got a claim in?

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    Mute Michael Devlin
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    Feb 7th 2017, 1:35 PM

    He needed surgery on his spine after being assaulted doing his job. He has been affected permanently. Its nobodys job to get assaulted. Nurses deal with these vermin regularly too and if one of them suffered the same fate nobody would question compensation. It was also just over 60000 when you take out his fees . Hardly a record payout for someone that has had there life affected

    43
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    Mute Stephen Maher
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    Feb 7th 2017, 4:08 PM

    I don’t know any called McGowan but Iv heard people being threatened countless times over the years, and seen hundreds assaulted, witnessed a shooting, saw a girl run over in a hit and run.

    Dublin is a lovely place.

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    Mute Bejasus Bejorrah
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    Feb 7th 2017, 8:33 PM

    @Michael Devlin: spine injury is seperate to this case..90 grand for a bruise?..probably 6 months off work..and he brought his wife to the incident? how much will she get ? cop on ..its a gravy train ..900 queuing up…

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    Mute Bejasus Bejorrah
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    Feb 7th 2017, 9:18 PM

    @Stephen Maher: THIS HAPPENED IN ARKLOW..YOU KLIPE

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    Mute Stephen Maher
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    Feb 9th 2017, 12:55 AM

    Ye I know , and your point is what?

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    Mute Trisha Tully
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    Feb 7th 2017, 11:35 AM

    Just waiting for the assh*le comments saying he doesn’t deserve it, that it’s all in the line of duty.

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    Mute youknowimright
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    Feb 7th 2017, 11:37 AM

    It happened 18 years ago? That’s a disgrace to wait that long.

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    Mute Daniel O'Connor
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    Feb 7th 2017, 11:59 AM

    Youknowhesright

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    Mute Sam
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    Feb 7th 2017, 1:43 PM

    Between the legal profession/judges and the garda they are taking the state for for fools. The self employed at the end of the day are the ones that are picking up the bill..Great little country. 900 cases awaiting trial. It’s a scandal the payouts awarded.

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    Mute filthypete
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    Feb 7th 2017, 6:10 PM

    Coz only self employed pay tax etc??????

    3
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    Mute Thosj Carroll
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    Feb 7th 2017, 12:03 PM

    If u want to become a Garda it has to be Insurance in order to pay compensation payment from taxpayers!

    9
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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Feb 7th 2017, 1:22 PM

    Thosj. And who pays the premiums to the insurance company?

    11
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    Mute joe o hare
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    Feb 7th 2017, 9:59 PM

    The judges are a joke, and some gardai have no shame.

    2
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