Photo: CNS Brandon Scott and Chai Brady
Two members at the forefront of the Church’s safeguarding efforts have described the Church as being “very safe for children at the moment” due to the successes of the safeguarding reforms that have been implemented in dioceses across the country and that politically-motivated statements attacking the Church and calling for its removal from education are “unfair” to those working in safeguarding and “opportunistic” in nature.
Deacon Frank Browne, a deacon in Ballyroan Parish and member of the Archdiocese of Dublin’s Safeguarding Committee and Aidan Gordon, the newly-installed CEO of the Church’s National Board for Safeguarding Children spoke to The Irish Catholic about how more stringent safeguarding practices over decades have led to the Church becoming “the safest place for children in terms of organisation”.
Deacon Browne said that the meaning of safeguarding has been recently expanded to include other vulnerable categories of people, including the elderly.
“On our parish pastoral council’s agenda, the standing item is safeguarding and what’s really good to see, and it’s close to my heart as well, it’s no longer just about safeguarding children, it’s safeguarding children and vulnerable adults,” he said.
Deacon Browne said that the constant attacks by certain politicians who harbour personal grievances are “very unfair” to the dedicated volunteers who have sacrificed hours to make the Church a safer place for vulnerable people and that bishops and others in leadership roles need to actively promote this.
“It is very unfair to all of us that work in safeguarding, because we know that children are more likely to be abused in the home,” he said. “The reality is that the safest place for children in terms of organisation is actually the Catholic Church parishes. They’re the safest places because anybody who is directly working with children has been recently vetted within the last three years.
“We need our bishops and others in leadership roles to speak up for the truth which is that we have a very safe Church and wonderfully dedicated men and women who give up their lives because we have a really good message and it will not be clouded by opportunistic attacks on the current parishes that are doing their best to protect children and vulnerable adults.”
Mr Gordon, who has 30 years’ experience in safeguarding practice and management, called the Church a “very safe place for children” but that this does not warrant a more complacent attitude when it comes to the protection of children.
“In my view the Catholic Church in Ireland is a very safe place for children at the moment,” he said. “However, we can’t afford to be complacent or let down our guard.”