The Roman Catholic Church in Scotland is to publish details of abuse allegations made between 2006 and 2012, the BBC reported.
The church said it would reveal the number of incidents reported, their nature and the results of investigations into them.
It will also carry out an audit of all historic abuse allegations made between 1947 and 2005.
The Scotsman, meanwhile, reported that a dossier of documents containing allegations of more than 20 cases of abuse in the Catholic Church has been passed to police.
Confidential letters from Scottish bishops, dating back to 1995 and including every diocese in Scotland, will be reviewed by Police Scotland, the force confirmed.
In one, a bishop describes abuse against “two severely mentally-handicapped young female adults”, according to reports in a Sunday newspaper. Another reportedly refers to a 15-year-old boy as “sexually mature”.
Former advisor to the Motherwell diocese, Alan Draper, called for criminal investigations and an independent Scottish Government inquiry into sexual abuse in the Church.
The revelation came as it was revealed that a former moderator of the Church of Scotland’s General Assembly has been asked to look into safeguarding procedures in the Catholic church. Andrew McLellan, who is also a former chief inspector of prisons for Scotland, will oversee the review.
Peter Kearney, a spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland, said the Church has co-operated with police and would continue to do so.
The Roman Catholic Church said the three initiatives were being launched “in a spirit of openness and transparency”.
It follows a series of scandals in the church, with the most recent allegations concerning the Fort Augustus Abbey School.
The former leader of the Catholic Church in Scotland, Cardinal Keith O’Brien, stepped down earlier this year after admitting sexual misconduct.
Sources
BBC
The Scotsman
The Herald
Image: BBC
Related Posts:
News category: World.
