Religious orders will not ‘get off the hook’ over abuse again, Taoiseach pledgesBy Cillian Sherlock, PAThe Government is pursuing legislation to make sure religious orders do not “get off the hook” over historical abuse, the Taoiseach has said. It comes after the announcement that a commission of investigation is to be established to examine historical sexual abuse claims. Almost 2,400 allegations of historical sexual abuse were recorded by 308 schools run by religious orders across Ireland, a Government-ordered scoping inquiry revealed. He said he believed there was a wide consensus in the Dáil to follow the recommendations of the Mary O’Toole report, which said a mechanism should be put in place to make sure religious orders contribute. “We’ll decide how sincere that sorrow is depending on what they do next.”Mr Harris said he believed options to pursue payments from religious orders will require legislation.

Source: Irish Independent October 10, 2024 23:22 UTC