Nuns have admitted that “some abuse” of children may have taken place in a care home run by their order and that allegations were not properly addressed when they first surfaced.
Sister Ellen Flynn said that the “horrifying” allegations of historical abuses said to have taken place at Smyllum Park orphanage in Lanark were against everything the order stood for.
The sister told the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry that her heart was with the survivors and vowed that the order would engage with them and the investigation to “put right what wrongs are found”.
She and another witness admitted a variety of historical failures had taken place at the home, run by the nuns of the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul, including “weak” governance and record keeping. The inquiry, sitting in Edinburgh, has heard evidence about the institution, which closed in 1981. Dozens of former residents have testified that they were beaten and mistreated as children.
Sister Ellen, the head of the order, told the inquiry: “For those who are in distress, for those whom we have hurt in any way, our deepest and most sincere apologies.” She and Sister Eileen Glancy, the head of safeguarding, told the inquiry that they wished to amend a previous apology because they realised that there was “more than a possibility that some abuse had occurred”.
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Asked about those who said that they continued to have emotional difficulties after their time at Smyllum, Sister Ellen said: “The core of our being is to be there for vulnerable people in distress. The core of our being has been wrenched by some of the testimonies. We accompany people who suffer with long-lasting effects of things that have happened to them. So we feel the impact and for any child that has been abused while in our care we would feel the very deep sense of regret.”
She described the contradictions in evidence between the survivors and nuns who described Smyllum as a happy place as “bewildering”. She said: “There is a hugely long tradition around how to behave with dignity and respect around children. So I find it difficult to think that there was something systemic going on. I’m quite prepared to say that there’s a possibility that many of the punishments occurred.”
The witnesses admitted that the order did not properly engage with abuse allegations when they emerged in the late 1990s but they now wanted to work with individuals or groups affected. “Obviously I want to stand by these people who have come forward” she said. “These were our children. We will respond in whatever way we can to try to put right what wrongs are found.”
The inquiry, chaired by Lady Smith, continues next week.