Ferns Inquiry
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The Ferns Report (2005) was an official Irish government inquiry into the allegations of clerical sexual abuse in the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Ferns Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of Roman civilization * Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter ...
in
County Wexford County Wexford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was ba ...
, Ireland.


Scope

The Inquiry was set up by the Government of Ireland to identify complaints and allegations made against clergy of the Diocese of Ferns prior to April 2002, and to report upon the response of Church and Civil Authorities. The Inquiry did not concern itself with the truth or otherwise of the complaints and allegations made, but entirely with the response to those allegations.Ferns Report p. 247 The Inquiry recorded its revulsion at the extent, severity and duration of the child sexual abuse allegedly perpetrated on children by priests acting under the aegis of the Diocese of Ferns. The investigation was established in the wake of the broadcast of a
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
Television documentary ''
Suing the Pope ''Suing the Pope'' is a March 2002 documentary by Colm O'Gorman and the BBC which details the abusive activities of priest Sean Fortune and the response of the diocese of Ferns to his activities over the years. As a result, bishop Brendan Com ...
'', which highlighted the case of Fr Seán Fortune, one of the most notorious clerical sexual offenders. The film followed
Colm O'Gorman Colm O'Gorman (born 15 July 1966) is an Irish activist and former politician. He was the executive director of Amnesty International Ireland from 2008 to 2022. He is founder and former director of One in Four. He is a survivor of clerical sex ...
as he investigated the story of how Fortune was allowed to abuse him and countless other teenage boys. O'Gorman, through One in Four, the organisation he founded to support women and men who have experienced sexual violence, successfully campaigned for the Ferns Inquiry. The Ferns Report was presented to the Irish government on 25 October 2005 and released the following day. It identified more than 100 allegations of child sexual abuse made between 1962 and 2002 against twenty-one priests operating under the aegis of the
Diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...
of Ferns. Eleven of these individuals were alive in 2002. The nature of the response by the Church authorities in the Diocese of Ferns to allegations of child sexual abuse by priests operating under the aegis of the diocese had varied over the forty years to 2002.


Findings

Among the facts revealed were: *The failure of Bishop Donal Herlihy to exclude clearly unsuitable candidates from the priesthood and his failure to ensure that alleged abusers were kept away from children; *His failure to report incidents of alleged sexual abuse to the legal authorities *The failure of his successor,
Brendan Comiskey The Most Rev. Brendan Oliver Comiskey (13 August 1935 – 28 April 2025) was the Roman Catholic Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Ferns. He was born in Clontibret, County Monaghan, Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster ...
, to report incidents of abuse and his failure to establish sound child protection measures;Ferns Report p. 248 From 1990 onward he reported all allegations made by children to the authorities. *The adoption of strict policies of immediate removal of any clergy subject to allegations by his successor, Bishop Eamon Walsh. *Police failure to properly investigate sexual abuse complaints prior to 1990. Among the allegations made were: *The sexual touching of teenage girls near the altar of a church by one priest; *The use of
blackmail Blackmail is a criminal act of coercion using a threat. As a criminal offense, blackmail is defined in various ways in common law jurisdictions. In the United States, blackmail is generally defined as a crime of information, involving a thr ...
by another priest to force children to perform sex acts on him; *Most allegations did not involve rape, but a range of sexual assaults from inappropriate touching to masturbation. Multiple allegations of abuse were made against the following priests (those still alive have not been identified in the Ferns Report): *Fr Donal Collins, transferred from St Peter's College in
Wexford Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...
to London in 1966 but returned to the college in 1968 *Fr James Doyle, ordination postponed in 1973, after the first allegation of drunken assault, but Doyle was ordained one year later. These three are deceased: *Fr James Grennan, sexually molested girls in Monageer church,
County Wexford County Wexford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was ba ...
while he heard
confession A confession is a statement – made by a person or by a group of people – acknowledging some personal fact that the person (or the group) would ostensibly prefer to keep hidden. The term presumes that the speaker is providing information that ...
*Canon Martin Clancy, molested his female victim in her own home *Fr
Seán Fortune Seán Fortune (20 December 1953 – 13 March 1999) was a Catholic priest from Ireland, who allegedly used his position to sexually abuse children. Fortune was accused of the rape and sexual molestation of 29 different boys. He committed suicide ...
ministered in the village of Poulfour in Co.
Wexford Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...
, in
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and in
Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ) is the county town of County Louth, Ireland. The town is situated on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the north-east coast of Ireland, and is halfway between Dublin and Belfast, close to and south of the bor ...
. Allegations of abuse were made against him in all three places.


Bishop Comiskey

The Inquiry contacted the mother of a young woman who said that Bishop Éamonn Walsh who, as
Apostolic Administrator An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...
, assumed control of the Ferns Diocese (following Comiskey's resignation) became aware of an allegation early in 2004. He called to see her daughter and urged her to make a formal statement, which she did. Walsh reported the matter to the Metropolitan for the Diocese of Ferns,
Desmond Connell Desmond Connell (24 March 1926 – 21 February 2017) was an Irish cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. He was an Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland. Cardinal Connell was one of a number of senior clergy to have been heavily criticise ...
,
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Archbishop of Dublin The Archbishop of Dublin () is an Episcopal polity, archiepiscopal title which takes its name from Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Since the Reformation in Ireland, Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic successions to the title: ...
. A report on the matter was prepared for the
Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...
. Comiskey was not interviewed during the preparation of this report. The report concluded that a delict had not been committed as regards the behaviour alleged but the fact that, under the influence of alcohol, Comiskey was alleged to have acted in such a manner was something that needed to be addressed to ensure that no repetition of such behaviour could take place. The Inquiry was informed by Comiskey that, although he agreed to step aside from active ministry when this allegation was first made known to church authorities, he had returned to ministry but agreed to refrain from high-profile acts of ministry. , he is residing in
Inniskeen Inniskeen, officially Inishkeen (), is a small village, townland and parish in County Monaghan, Ireland, close to the County Louth and County Armagh borders. The village is located about from Dundalk, from Carrickmacross, and from Crossmagl ...
,
County Monaghan County Monaghan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of Border Region, Border strategic planning area of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town ...
.


Micheál Ledwith

Comiskey nominated his diocesan colleague, Monsignor
Micheál Ledwith Micheál Ledwith (whose first name is often reported as Michael) is a former Catholic priest of the Diocese of Ferns in County Wexford from 1967 to 2005. Early years at Maynooth After a promising academic start he was promoted rapidly and serv ...
to be president of St. Patrick's College, Maynooth in 1984 despite the prior concerns of six seminarians about Ledwith's alleged homosexual orientation. Later allegations of sexual abuse of a minor became known after Ledwith resigned as president in 1994; he was
defrocked Defrocking, unfrocking, degradation, or laicization of clergy is the removal of their rights to exercise the functions of the ordained ministry. It may be grounded on criminal convictions, disciplinary problems, or disagreements over doctrine or ...
by the Church 11 years afterwards.


Jim Grennan

This was also seen in other cases, such as that of Jim Grennan, a
parish priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...
, who abused children as they prepared for
First Communion First Communion is a ceremony in some Christian traditions during which a person of the church first receives the Eucharist. It is most common in many parts of the Latin tradition of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Church and Anglican Communion (ot ...
, and Sean Fortune, who committed suicide before his trial for the rape of children.


Judgement and recommendation

Between 1960 and 1980, the Report found that Bishop Herlihy treated child sexual abuse by priests of his diocese exclusively as a moral problem. He transferred priests against whom allegations had been made, to a different post or a different diocese for a period of time but then returned them to their former position. By 1980, Bishop Herlihy recognised that there was a psychological or medical dimension to the issue of child sexual abuse. Some priests in respect of whom allegations had been made were sent to a psychologist. However, decisions were made by Bishop Herlihy to appoint to curacies priests against whom allegations had been made, in respect of whom a respected clerical psychologist had expressed his concerns in unambiguous terms as to their suitability to interact with young people. The report was also highly critical of the failure of the
Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace") is the national police and security service of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards". The service is headed by the Garda Commissio ...
(police) to properly investigate reported incidents. It noted with concern the disappearance of one police file detailing serious incidents of clerical sex abuse. It stated that the local health authorities failed to protect children even when aware of allegations. As a result of a late application, a further inspection of files from July 2005 revealed a further five cases of concern, which were mentioned in the report's appendix. This raised concern about the diocese's willingness to disclose relevant files.


Process and publication of the Report

An initial report was made to the government in 2002 by George Bermingham SC. A non-statutory private inquiry was then established in March 2003 by
Micheál Martin Micheál Martin (; born 16 August 1960) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician serving as Taoiseach since January 2025, having previously held the position from 2020 to 2022. Martin served as Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Min ...
as
Minister for Health and Children The Minister for Health () is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland and leads the Department of Health. The Minister for Health is responsible for healthcare in Ireland and related services. The current Minister for Health is Jennifer ...
, comprising three persons: Francis Murphy, a retired
Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
Judge; Dr Helen Buckley, a sociology lecturer at
Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...
; and Dr Laraine Joyce of the office of health management, a part of the Ministry for Health and Children. The report was published in October 2005, noting the anonymity of victims and alleged abusers, and highlighting that in the Ministry's opinion: "no evidence was placed before the Inquiry suggesting the operation or the organisation of a paedophile ring in the Diocese of Ferns or any clerical institution within that Diocese." The report cost just under €1.9 million. The Report was considered to be more robust that the Church's own
McCullough Report The McCullough Report is a report published by the Irish Roman Catholic bishops in June 2005 following allegations of homosexual sexual abuse between seminarians and staff at St Patrick's College, Maynooth in Ireland. The report looked at how th ...
, released earlier in 2005, which covered one aspect concerning allegations about Michael Ledwith. The main Dáil debate on the Ferns Report was in two parts on 9 November 2005. The
Irish Senate Irish commonly refers to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the island and the sovereign state *** Erse (disambiguati ...
debate started on 10 November.


Press comment

According to reports in the Irish press, the report itself was not to be published on the Internet for legal reasons. A document claimed to be the text of the Report is, however, online, on the website of an organisation called BishopAccountability.org., and also on the website of an organisation called oneinfour.org.


See also

*
Child sexual abuse Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in Human sexual activity, sexual activit ...
*
Religious abuse Religious abuse is abuse administered through religion, including harassment, humiliation, spiritual abuse or religious violence. Religious abuse may also include the misuse of religion for selfish, secular, or ideological ends, such as the abuse ...
*
Catholic Church sexual abuse cases in Ireland From the late 1980s, allegations of sexual abuse of children associated with Catholic institutions and clerics in several countries started to be the subject of sporadic, isolated reports. In Ireland, beginning in the 1990s, a series of crimina ...
*
Brendan Comiskey The Most Rev. Brendan Oliver Comiskey (13 August 1935 – 28 April 2025) was the Roman Catholic Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Ferns. He was born in Clontibret, County Monaghan, Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster ...
ss cc, former
Bishop of Ferns The Bishop of Ferns () is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Ferns in County Wexford, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishopr ...
*
Catholic Church sexual abuse cases There have been many cases of sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests, priests, nuns, and Sexual abuse scandals in Catholic orders and societies, other members of religious life in the Catholic Church. In the late 20th and early 21st c ...
* Crimen sollicitationis *''
Deliver Us from Evil The Lord's Prayer, also known by its incipit Our Father (, ), is a central Christian prayer attributed to Jesus. It contains petitions to God focused on God’s holiness, Will of God, will, and Kingship and kingdom of God, kingdom, as well as h ...
'' *'' Sex Crimes and the Vatican'' (Panorama documentary episode)


References


Further reading

*Crow, Catrina (2008): "The Ferns Report: Vindicating the Abused Child" in: ''Éire-Ireland'' 43: 1 & 2 Spring/Summer 2008: pp. 50–73


External links


Department of Health and Children, Ireland

Alleged text of The Ferns Report at bishop-accountability.orgAlleged text of The Ferns Report at oneinfour.orgIrish Bishops Communications OfficeDiocese of Ferns, County Wexford, IrelandOne in FourColm O'Gorman
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferns Report, The Public inquiries in Ireland Catholic Church sexual abuse scandals in Ireland History of County Wexford 2005 works 2005 in Christianity