Minister defends planned abuse reporting law

Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald has reiterated her intention
to apply the planned new reporting requirements on child abuse across
all organisations and individuals working with children.

She was responding to Cardinal Seán Brady's warning that undermining
the vow of secrecy surrounding Confession would challenge the right of
every Catholic to freedom of religion and conscience.

Immediately after the Cloyne Report revealed Catholic Church
cover-ups of clerical child sexual abuse, Ms Fitzgerald said the
sacrament of Confession could not be used to claim exemption from new
reporting rules the Government intended to introduce.

Ms Fitzgerald has now said she intends to bring the draft heads of
the planned Children First Bill to Government in coming months and
applying its new statutory reporting requirements across all
organisations and individuals working with children.

She recalled that Taoiseach Enda Kenny had told the Dáil in July that
the Irish people deserved and required compliance by all Church
authorities here with the obligations to report all cases of suspected
abuse to the State's authorities in line with the Children First
National Guidance, which would have the force of law.

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