Ireland: Clerical abusers shielded by ‘cabal’ of protection in church

Archbishop reveals Cloyne abusers may have 'friends in the Vatican'
By RONALD QUINLAN and MAEVE SHEEHAN
Sunday September 04 2011

The Archbishop of Dublin Dr Diarmuid Martin has admitted that "a cabal" protecting clerical sex abusers may be operating at the highest levels in the Catholic Church.

Dr Martin said: "There may be a cabal in Cloyne. They may have friends in other parts of the Irish Church. They may have friends in Irish society. There may be friends in the Vatican."

Asked yesterday who was preventing the protection of children, he said: "The numbers that are involved in this are few. The damage that these people cause is horrendous. It's for all of us to see where they are, but in the long term I have to take the responsibility that in Dublin there are not cabals who reject our child protection laws. the rest