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Christian Brothers accused of censoring debate on child abuse

The Christian Brothers have been accused of censoring debate about a damning major report on child abuse due to be published today.

The 2.500 page report cost an estimated Euro 70m and took 10 years to compile, will document the scale of emotional, physical and sexual trauma suffered by children under the care of Catholic priests and nuns.

The report written by Judge Sean Ryan the head of the Child Abuse Commission, is expected to strongly condemn the Catholic Church and the Department of Education for the abuse of children.

The government-appointed commission heard testimony from more than 1,000 victims, many of whom suffered physical or sexual abuse. Most were sent to residential institutions because of poverty, minor crime or truancy or because there was nowhere else for them to go.

The abuse, spanning from the mid-1930s to the mid-1990s, took place in religious-run institutions, industrial schools and reformatories which were run by the Christian Brothers and Sisters of Mercy.

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