Mary Lou McDonald
Question:17. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent engagements with church leaders. [59155/22]
View answerTuesday, 13 December 2022
Questions (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
Ivana Bacik
Question:18. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent engagements with church leaders. [60874/22]
View answer
Mick Barry
Question:19. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent engagements with church leaders. [60884/22]
View answer
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:20. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach when he will next meet with church leaders. [61329/22]
View answer
Paul Murphy
Question:21. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach when he will next meet with church leaders. [61332/22]
View answerOral answers (9 contributions)
I propose to take Questions Nos. 17 to 21, inclusive, together.
My most recent formal meeting with church leaders took place on 15 April 2021, when I met with the leaders of the all-island Christian churches, including the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of Ireland, the Presbyterian Church, the Methodist Church and the Irish Council of Churches. We discussed the ongoing contribution to peacebuilding and the ongoing work churches undertake at community level in Northern Ireland. Both the church leaders and I recognise the importance of engagement with and respect for all communities and traditions on these islands. Like public representatives generally, I meet church leaders informally from time to time in the course of attending official or public events.
I wish to mark the recent passing of Bethany Home survivor and campaigner, Derek Leinster. With the love and support of his wife Carol, he fought a tremendous battle for all the Bethany Home children, who suffered such horrific neglect and abuse. We owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude. Our thoughts are with his daughters, Deborah, Amanda, Gail and Kerry. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal.
What engagement has the Taoiseach had with church leaders on their respective contributions to the mother and baby home redress scheme? Has progress been made on the matter? I must note again my disappointment with the Government's decision to exclude from the redress scheme children who were boarded out. Religious orders and the State had a direct hand in the exploitation of such children, who were in effect abandoned to devastating exploitation, neglect and abuse within the families and communities to which they were boarded out.
Finally, the Adoption Authority of Ireland has confirmed that it is unable to respond to applications for birth and tracing information within the 90-day statutory timeline and that it will be early autumn before current applicants will receive their information. Will the Taoiseach and the Government sign off on the provision of the additional resources identified by the authority to meet its statutory obligation?
The revelations of abuse from Blackrock College and the Spiritan order have led to many more survivors coming forward to disclose abuse in other schools run by religious orders, including the Vincentians, the Dominicans and others. I ask for an update on the Government commitment to hold an inquiry into these abuse claims. It has now been nearly a month since that indication was given, and it was reported then that the Government hoped to announce more detail of the plans for an inquiry before Christmas. I know the Minister for Education has been engaging with survivors, and that is very welcome. However, I have heard from survivors in recent days and weeks wondering when we will hear an announcement as to whether the inquiry will be a statutory one or whether there will be a scoping inquiry similar to that conducted in respect of the Ferns report or the Scally scoping inquiry. Will the Taoiseach indicate to survivors when they are likely to see a decision made on this important issue?
Members need to be very brief now. I call on Deputy Boyd Barrett.
In the interest of time, I will let my question go.
Last week Archbishop Eamon Martin, the most senior Catholic archbishop in Ireland, backed protests outside maternity hospitals by anti-choice activists. He claimed it was "perfectly reasonable" to intercept pregnant people on their way into medical appointments. He said that to have safe zones would be "tantamount to enforcing a ban on pro-life activities, including prayer and respectful witness". Of course, it would do no such thing. Those who oppose abortion are still free to campaign against it. People are obviously still free to engage in prayer. What the legislation does is state that those who are going for medical appointments cannot be subject to intimidation by anti-choice activists. Did the Taoiseach discuss this and the need to stop these intimidatory, misogynistic protests in his discussions with church leaders? Will he expedite the long-awaited legislation on safe access zones in the new year?
I ask Deputy Tóibín to be very brief.
I support the request by Deputies Bacik and McDonald in respect of abuse in the past, but I also ask the Taoiseach, in the interest of balance, if the State has ever made any effort to quantify the positive contribution by the churches in this State. I think of the Covid crisis, for example, and, when many people were dying on their own and isolated from their families, the support they got from many religious in this State. Many religious buried people during the Covid crisis at great threat to themselves. They were the only group the State never thanked for the help provided during Covid. I think of Fr. John Joe Duffy, for example, who managed to hold together his community in Creeslough. I think of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Trócaire, Fr. Peter McVerry, Sr. Stan, the Capuchin Day Centre and all the schools that do tremendous work in educating our children. Is there any quantification done by the State of the positive impact that has on society?
I agree with Deputy McDonald and join her in expressing our sympathies and our thanks for the work Derek did. As for the redress scheme, the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, wrote to the churches seeking a contribution to the redress scheme. My understanding is that legislation is still going through the Houses, or perhaps it has gone through already. I note the Deputy's concerns about some aspects of the legislation.
The point about the Adoption Authority is a fair one. I read about that during the week. I have spoken to the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and he is concerned about it, so we are seeking to see if we can expedite and accelerate a solution because that is a bit long for people to have to wait. I think the authority underestimated the level of interest and the number of applications. It is good that so many people are applying and using the facility provided by the legislation.
On the inquiry, which was raised by Deputy Bacik, the Minister for Education has met with the victims concerned. I think all of us were appalled again by what we saw on "The Late Late Show" last Friday night. What the two brothers featured revealed was shocking. I will come back to the Deputy. I think the Minister spoke to Opposition spokespeople and is assessing the best course of action. We will consult with Government colleagues as to the most effective way forward to get to the truth of this. That is important.
As for what Deputy Paul Murphy raised, I did not realise Archbishop Martin had made those comments. In my view, hospitals are no place for protests, no matter what the issue is. They should be safe spaces. People generally visit hospitals under stress and strain for a variety of reasons. The last thing they need to see is someone protesting, any agitation or anything to do with that. It just runs counter to what hospitals should be all about.
Deputy Tóibín made a fair point. I do not think there has been such a quantification. I was at the Presidential Distinguished Service Awards ceremony last week and there was a Fr. O'Riordan from Cork there. He spent most of his life in South Africa and did time in jail there because he lived among the black townships in the apartheid era and was imprisoned for that. So many members of churches throughout the world have led with great bravery. Unfortunately, there are those who have been involved in terrible abuse also, but there has not been quantification of the positive contributions. Most recently, I attended a new homeless facility in Cork, Edel House. An order of sisters established that many years ago and provided shelter to women who were homeless or being abused or for whatever other reason. That thrust has been maintained in the modernisation of that centre now and its mission to provide safe shelter to women in various vulnerable situations. Deputy Tóibín's point is a fair one.