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THE NAMES OF 15 deceased Jesuits credibly accused of child sexual abuse have been published by the Jesuit Order.
The publication of the names follows an examination last year of the files of 37 deceased Jesuit priests or brothers, who had all been the subject of child sexual abuse complaints over those decades.
Eight of the fifteen names published today were already the subject of complaints during their lifetimes. The other seven first became the subject of complaint after their deaths.
All allegations in these cases have been reported to gardaí and statutory authorities.
In a statement today, the Jesuit Order said that they acknowledged and apologised for their “failings”, including their “inward-looking” approach to the allegations that prioritised the interests of the Order.
The 15 named Jesuits are:
The decision by the Jesuits to publish these names today follows on from their naming of Fr Joseph Marmion in 2021 as a Jesuit who abused children. Marmion is believed to have abused dozens of boys at Belvedere College in Dublin, Clongowes Wood College in Kildare, and at Crescent College in Limerick.
The statement added that the primary consideration of the Order when the incidents of abuse occurred “appears to have been the avoidance of public scandal” and the protection of the reputation of the Jesuit Order and institutions.
“We often perceived the abuse from the perspective of moral failure as distinct from a criminal act,” the statement said.
“These misguided considerations allowed individual Jesuits who had offended against children to avoid accountability for their crimes.”
The Jesuit Order statement added that the “right of the Jesuit accused to his good name” took precedence over the consideration of the wellbeing of children, both in terms of protection and outreach.
According to the order, the vital needs of children for support and acknowledgement at the time of their abuse disclosures, and the need for inclusion of their families, were either not considered at all or were disregarded.
Many of the adults who came forward with accounts of their childhood abuse experience did not receive the acceptance and compassion they deserved, the Order said.
Jesuit Provincial Shane Daly SJ said that the Order has been engaged in a process of
acknowledgement and accountability regarding the child sexual abuse perpetrated
by Jesuits over the past 70 years, adding that the process is “ongoing”.
“We hope that our naming today and acknowledgement of our significant failures will encourage people who were sexually abused in childhood by any Jesuit, not just those named, to make contact with us,” Fr Daly said.
“Our expression of sorrow and regret for the suffering and pain inflicted on each survivor is real. We are truly shamed that so many innocent young people suffered heinous abuse at the hands of Jesuits who were supposed to be serving them and caring for them.
“We put the good name of the institution before their suffering and for this we are truly sorry.”
Fr Daly aded that apologies ”will mean little” without “effective action”.
“I want to invite any person who was harmed by any Jesuit to consider speaking with us. We really want to hear from you.”
160 people have contacted the Jesuits Safeguarding Office to make disclosures.
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