Files on the priests are expected to be forwarded to the director of public prosecutions shortly. They relate to five diocesan priests who served under Cardinal Desmond Connell in the 1980s. Four of the priests have never been prosecuted in Irish courts. One priest has previous convictions for abusing children.
The cases came to light after the victims came forward. The complainants are all men in their thirties. Additional charges against convicted paedophile priests in the Dublin diocese are expected to follow.
The 20-member investigative team, led by Chief Superintendent Sean Camon, is examining existing and fresh allegations of clerical abuse. Progress has been hampered by the huge volume of files to be examined.
Gardai have sought access to files at Archbishop’s House in Dublin, including records of church tribunals into errant priests. Once those files are cross-checked with the garda’s records, the veracity of claims that the church concealed the activities of abusive priests from the authorities will emerge.
The task of amassing evidence against paedophile priests in the diocese has been difficult. The investigation has been delayed by the lengthy administrative process of compiling hundreds of witness statements. Many church files are missing or incomplete, due in part to poor maintenance by diocesan authorities.
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Another hindrance is that despite Cardinal Connell’s promise to give gardai unlimited access to diocesan files, detectives must inspect them in situ. The files cannot be removed from the chancery division of the diocesan headquarters so detectives must make copies of relevant material.
Connell’s pledge was made last December after a breakthrough meeting with Marie Collins and Ken Reilly, campaigners for the victims of sex abuse. The promise was welcomed by victims, who noted a change of heart by the church leader — he had previously agreed to provide only “relevant” files to investigators.
Victims of clerical sex abuse pursuing compensation cases through the courts are now making access to church documents a central part of their claims.
In January, the Dublin diocese reportedly paid more than £#8364;400,000 to a victim of a priest who was jailed for abusing four boys. The unprecedented settlement was agreed between the church and Mervyn Rundle, who won a High Court application to access all documents on the abusing priest.
Detectives expected the Rundle case to open the floodgate for new complaints. However, the rate of complaints has declined significantly in recent months.