Members of SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, protest outside the US Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore in November. CNS Staff reporter
The final tranche of reports from the national safeguarding board is expected to be released next week, The Irish Catholic understands.
The National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church (NBSCCC) has now completed reviews of safeguarding practice and procedures in almost every Church body that comes under its authority.
The few exceptions who have not yet been reviewed include some religious orders whose exclusively female memberships are aging and declining in numbers, and who have no ministry with children, as well as a small number of religious orders currently subject to investigation under the Northern Ireland Historical Inquiry.
Reports by the board into child safeguarding practices within these orders cannot be produced publicly until after the Northern inquiry has reported its findings, which will happen next year.
The most recent tranche of reports was published in December, bringing to 134 the total number of reports released, including those for all 26 dioceses. Among those bodies whose practices were reported on in December were the Sisters of Mercy, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, the Ursulines of the Irish Union and the Legionaries of Christ.
photo: CNS