The Jesuit order in Ireland has received 93 complaints of sexual, physical and emotional abuse of young boys by Joseph Marmion, a former priest and teacher who came forward as a child abuser two years ago.
In March 2021, the Jesuits invited victims of Marmion to join the order, and a restorative justice program was established.
According to the Jesuit report, a narrative record of Joseph Marmion’s abuse, 45 of the 93 complaints received in 1977 related to child sexual abuse.
Marmion spent most of his time teaching at Belvedere College, but also taught at two other schools: Cloghosewood College in County Kildare and Crescent College in Limerick.
Of the 93 complaints of abuse made against him, 14 were related to Crescent College, 14 to Clongowswood College and 65 to Belvedere College.
Excluding Marmion, these three schools had 34 complaints of sexual abuse against 19 other Jesuits.
These complaints were received by the association between 1965 and 2023 and reportedly occurred between 1940 and 1991.
The report notes that despite naming Marmion in 2021, the Jesuit Province of Ireland does not normally make public the identity of Jesuits who are the “subjects of complaints”.
However, the complaint names another priest who was filed, and the first Jesuits became aware of Marmion’s crimes in the 1970s.
According to reports, sexual abuse allegations were made in 1991 against Father Paul Andrews, who was rector of Belvedere Church and is now deceased.
The abuse is believed to have occurred in a non-school setting in 1985.
When complaints were raised twice again in 1994, in 1995 the Society reported to Gardaí.
This is understood to be the first notification of complaints against the Jesuits to An Garda Síochána.
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“Major error in judgment”
At the end of the investigation, gardaí prepared a file for the Director of Public Prosecutions and in February 1997 directed that no charges be brought.
Following the Democratic Party’s decision, Andrews was allowed to resume his service without restrictions until 2002, when the newly established Child Protection Commission was asked to consider his case.
The party said the Democratic Party’s decision was not a declaration of innocence or guilt and recommended that minors should not be allowed to perform any form of service.
Andrews was formally asked to withdraw from service with minors after June 2002.
A report released today by the Jesuits found that the decision to allow Mr Andrews to resume his professional work counseling and evaluating minors after the 1997 DPP decision was a “serious error in judgment”. .
He also acknowledged that many aspects of Andrews’ case had been mismanaged. Among other things, the care given to the complainant and his family, the fact that the incident was not reported to the Board of Health until 2010, and the fact that he was allowed to return home. In 1997 he started working with minors.
The report notes that Mr. Andrews was the first Jesuit to receive child sexual abuse charges against Joseph Marmion in 1977, when he was president of Belvedere College.
There was agreement between Andrews and the two other priests who were aware of the charges against Marmion that the need to protect the society’s reputation and avoid public scandal was central.
The report concludes that this undoubtedly provides “part of the explanation” for why Marmion was not reported to An Garda Síochána.
He said he did not know whether the charges against Andrews influenced his decision to keep his knowledge of Marmion’s history of child sexual abuse secret.
The Jesuits also point out that Mr. Andrews was principal of St. Declan’s Special Needs School from 1977 until the end of 1994.
This time, another deceased Jesuit, Fr Dermot Casey SJ, Mr Andrews’ predecessor as chairman of the school (1958-1977), faces 17 charges of child sexual abuse. announced that it had been subject to.
These complaints were received between 1975 and 2023 and relate to events from the 1950s to 1977.
The first complaint of child sexual abuse against Casey that the Jesuit order was aware of was related to St. Declan’s School and was received in 1975 by Paul Andrews, who was then working at Loyola House.
“As far as we know, Father Andrews did not communicate this information to the Provincial at the time. In November 1994 he communicated what he had learned in 1975 to the then Provincial.
“This information is being provided now because it is important to the current St Declan’s school community, past students and their parents, and the many people who have long-standing connections with St Declan’s.”
The association said it would “implement the lessons learned from Father Marmion’s naming between 2019 and 2023 to apply to other cases,” with the main aim “that the interests of those who have been abused are paramount.” He said he is considering whether it can be applied in other ways.
The Jesuit order said its purpose was to place information related to the receipt of complaints against Andrews into the public domain.
The Jesuit Church of Ireland has welcomed the publication of a narrative account of Joseph Marmion’s abuse of pupils at a Jesuit school.
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Shane Daly SJ, Provincial of the Jesuits of Ireland, thanked the past student management committees for making this possible.
Father Daly acknowledged that an important part of the story is holding the Order accountable for its many failings regarding students abused by Marmion.
“As Jesuits, we are ashamed of our failures: for not allowing the truth to be told, for not acknowledging the wrongs that happened, for not allowing the truth to be told, for not acknowledging the wrongs that happened, and for not doing what you asked for and deserved. The failure to create the opportunity to receive the much-needed vindication sooner is the result of Father Marmion SJ’s experience.
“We apologize for the delay in creating a situation in which you could receive your due recognition and the consideration that we as a Christian community crave in our lives and missions.”
The Society of Jesus points out that compensation and redress are often important to people, and the Society of Jesus has sought to make this process as painless as possible.
Father Daley urged anyone who has been harmed by Jesuits to consider speaking to us. We would love to hear from you. Masu.
He told RTÉ’s News at One that the report showed “shocking levels of abuse” from the 1950s to 1977.
Maeve Lewis, chief executive of One in Four, an organization that supports people who have experienced sexual violence, called the report “deeply distressing”.
Ms Lewis told RTÉ’s Drivetime: “It was a familiar and gruesome failure of a religious group, in this case the Jesuits, to act effectively when the allegations came to light and put children at risk.” I think it’s a repeat of failure.”
But Ms Lewis praised the way the Jesuits handled the report, saying they were “totally transparent” in enumerating the failures of the 80s, 90s and 2000s, and said the report He said he was very remorseful about how the other children were treated. danger.
“We encourage people to contact the One in Four Advocacy Service, and we would also like to point out that the Jesuits are willing to pay for psychotherapy with independent practitioners and a diverse network of rape crisis centers across the country. I know there are,” Lewis said.
“The effects of sexual abuse last throughout a person’s life. It can be extremely detrimental to relationships, careers, and every aspect of life, but there is excellent professional help available.”
Anyone with concerns, or who has suffered abuse at the hands of Jesuits, is asked to contact the Order’s Safeguarding Department by email: safeguarding@jesuit.ie.
Alternatively, call the Jesuit Protection Helpline on 00 353 830874254 (Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, Saturday 10am to 5pm, Sunday 10am to 2pm) .
If those affected do not wish to contact the Order directly, they may contact Tusla and/or An Garda Síochána.