1994 – Irish Catholic Bishops’Advisory Committee on Child Sexual Abuse by 
Priests and Religious convened under the Chairmanship of Most Rev. Laurence 
Forristal, Bishop of Ossory.  Its purpose was to identify guidelines for 
Church policy in instances or suspicions of child sexual abuse by a priest 
or religious. The membership of the Committee included representatives from 
the professions of Psychiatry, Paediatrics, Law, Canon Law, Clergy, Religious 
and Communications.

1996 - Publication of Child Sexual Abuse: Framework for a Church Response 
(commonly referred to as: ‘The Green Book’) see www.cpo.ie.  This report 
recognizes the paramount need to safeguard the welfare of children.  It 
emphasizes the need for a strong commitment to prevention through a range 
of measures to reduce the risk of such abuse in the future.
 
1997 - National Resource Group established, under Chairmanship of Bishop 
Forristal.  Its key terms of reference were:
- to serve as a resource for the Catholic Church in Ireland in responding 
to the issue of Child Sexual Abuse by priests and religious;
- to facilitate the implementation of the recommendations of the 
“Green Book”.
Throughout 1997 the National Resource Group provided training programmes 
for all personnel appointed by dioceses – delegates, deputy delegates, 
support persons and priest advisors.

1998 - The National Resource Group organised a Consultation Seminar for 
English speaking Episcopal Committees dealing with Child Sexual Abuse – 
representatives of the Episcopal Conferences of eleven countries participated 
(Dundrum, Co Tipperary 18-21 May).

1999 - Bishops’ Committee on Child Abuse established under the chairmanship 
of Bishop Eamonn Walsh to liaise with the Government proposed Commission 
to Inquiry into Child Abuse (Laffoy Commission).  Membership of the Committee 
included representatives from the professions of psychology, canon law, 
counselling, education, clergy and religious.

2001 -  January - The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland is commissioned by 
the Bishops' Committee on Child Abuse to conduct a research project to examine 
the impact of clerical child sexual abuse on: (i) victims and their extended 
families; (ii) perpetrators and their extended families; (iv) colleagues; 
(v) parishes and the wider community.  The results of this extensive study: 
Time to Listen, were published in December 2003.

2001 - July - The Child Protection Office of the Irish Bishops’ Conference 
is established.  See www.cpo.ie.

2001 - September - The Bishops’ Committee on Child Protection was established 
under the chairmanship of Bishop Eamonn Walsh and it replaces the Bishops’ 
Committee on Child Abuse. 

2002 – April - The Bishops’ Conference announce a nationwide independent audit 
into handling of all complaints of child sexual abuse by diocesan priests or 
religious in diocesan appointments as far back as 1940.

2002 - July - Judge Gillian Hussey was appointed as chairperson of the Catholic 
Church Commission on Child Sexual Abuse (Hussey Commission).

2002 - September - Judge Hussey announces the members of her Commission which 
were drawn from the professions of social work, psychology, law, law enforcement,
criminology, and a social historian.

2002 - December - Judge Hussey decides to cease the work of this Commission
following the announcement by the Minister for Justice for the: “preparation of 
a scheme for a statutory basis for a new mechanism for investigating into matters 
of significant and urgent public importance”.  It was the Minister’s intention 
that such a scheme would include the handling of clerical sexual abuse. Thus, 
Judge Hussey believed her Commission would be duplicating the work of the State.

2003 – June – The Working Group on Child Protection, chaired by management 
consultant Ms Maureen Lynott, is established by the Bishops’ Conference, Conference 
of Religious in Ireland and the Irish Missionary Union to develop a comprehensive and 
integrated child protection policy for the Irish Catholic Church.  Members of the group 
included experts in education, health, child protection, social work, law enforcement, 
victims’ rights representatives and theologians.  

2003 - August -   A set of good practice guidelines entitled Working with 
Children and Young People in the Catholic Church Community in Ireland are 
developed by the Bishops’ Child Protection Office in collaboration with its 
Committee on Child Protection. These guidelines were distributed to all 
dioceses and religious congregations.  See www.cpo.ie.

2003 - December – Publication of Time to Listen, Confronting Child Sexual Abuse by 
Catholic Clergy in Ireland.  This report was the first occasion internationally 
in which the Catholic Church had commissioned independent research into clerical 
child sexual abuse.  The study not only assessed the impact of abuse on victims 
and abusers, but it also examined these effects on their families, colleagues 
and on wider society.  See: www.catholiccommunications.ie.

2004 – The Bishops’ Child Protection Office commences its National Training 
Initiative in St Patrick’s College, Maynooth.  20 participants from nine 
dioceses start their training as child protection trainers.  

2005 – January - The members of the Working Group on Child Protection 
(formerly the Lynott Group which disbanded in September 2004) unanimously 
agree to be associated with the draft new policy and procedures for the 
protection of children.
 
2005 – February – The Irish Bishops’ Conference launch: Towards Healing, a Lenten 
pastoral reflection on child sexual abuse.  Towards Healing was distributed 
throughout dioceses and parishes on the island of Ireland.  It was also sent 
to groups representing victims of child sexual abuse. 
 
2005 – 4th December – First group of child protection trainers (19 graduates) 
receive their certificates from Archbishop Seán Brady.  The Irish Bishops’ 
Conference national training strategy was established in 2003 to implement 
policies and procedures within dioceses for the protection and welfare of 
children that would be wholly in keeping with statutory guidelines in this 
area (Children First, Department of Health and Children, 1999 and Cooperating 
to Safeguard Children, DHSSPS, NI) and in order to prepare for the introduction 
of Our Children, Our Church.  A core aspect of the national training strategy 
involves trainees undertaking a course based at St Patrick’s’ College, Maynooth, 
leading to an Open College Network Certificate called: “Keeping Safe: Training 
the Trainers’ Programme”.  Following their accreditation, trainers will act 
as training facilitators in their own dioceses and provide information and 
support in developing safe practice procedures for dealing with young people 
within parishes.  A further 25 are currently in training, 21 from dioceses 
and four from CORI.
 
2005 – 19th December – Publication and launch of Our Children, Our Church.


ends
19 December 2005