Another World record for abuse

102 Irish Priests Suspected of Abuse


By SHAWN POGATCHNIK, Associated Press Writer


DUBLIN, Ireland - The Roman Catholic archdiocese of Dublin said
Wednesday that 102 of its priests are suspected of sexually or
physically abusing at least 350 children since 1940 - the biggest
such admission to date in Ireland.


The office of Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said it was publishing its
findings ahead of this month's expected formation of a
government-appointed commission to investigate the history and handling

of such abuse in Ireland.


This predominantly Catholic nation has been rocked by waves of church
sex-abuse scandals since 1994.


The archdiocese said it conducted a two-year review of the personnel
files of more than 2,800 priests who have worked in the Dublin
archdiocese, either as parish priests or in religious orders, during
the past 66 years.


It found that eight priests in Dublin were convicted of abuse, while 32

priests have been sued for damages by 105 victims at a cost to the
archdiocese of $7 million. That figure includes about $2 million in
legal bills for both sides.


But the report said costs were expected to increase significantly
because 40 cases remained unsettled, while church authorities had
positively identified at least 350 abuse victims and "a possible
further 40 persons who may have been abused but who it is not yet
possible to identify or trace."


Martin, a veteran Vatican diplomat appointed here in 2003, said he
believed the archdiocese would have to sell off some of its properties
to cover the mounting compensation bill. He called that a necessary
sacrifice to right past wrongs, as much as was possible.


"It's very frightening for me to see that in some of these cases, so
many children were abused. It's very hard to weigh that up against
anything," Martin said.


"On the other hand, I know that the vast majority of priests don't
abuse, that they do good work, that they're extremely upset and
offended by what's happened."

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