President backs Abuse Prosecutions

President Mary McAleese (photo) believes that people should face prosecutions as a result of the Ryan Report (see my entry of May 21st) into the systematic torture and child abuse by members of religious orders of the Catholic Church.

The President was speaking in Boston, on the final leg of her official visit to the US state of Massachusetts. There she has been meeting Irish-American communities and promoted Ireland's industry and tourism.

As the presidential good-will tour coincided with the publication of the Ryan Report here, a considerable amount of publicity in US media on the fall-out from the report overshadowed the visit. (With some careful planning, scheduling and co-ordination it would have been possible to avoid that.)

In an interview with RTÉ News the President said today that the report showed "a catalogue of criminal offences", and that "people who committed these awful crimes against innocent children should face prosecution".
Even though prosecution might not bring closure, it would bring Justice, she added.

Mary McAleese is to be saluted on this clear statement and on her straight and honest approach. She stands high above the Irish government, which is now trying to wriggle itself out of the mess it created, while it still tries to protect the Catholic Church from taking full responsibility for her horrible crimes.

The Emerald Islander