AN ADVOCACY GROUP for victims of sexual abuse in Spiritan schools has called for a meeting with Education Minister Norma Foley around the potential statutory inquiry into abuse in religious-run schools.

It emerged in late 2022 that following an RTÉ radio documentary that 233 people had made allegations of abuse against 77 Irish Spiritans in ministries throughout Ireland and abroad. Of those, 57 people alleged they were abused on the Blackrock College campus.

The leader of the Spiritans in Ireland, Father Martin Kelly, issued an apology in November 2022 to all victims on behalf of the order.

Restore Together, an advocacy group for victims of sexual abuse in Spiritan schools, said today that it has so far support close to 300 people have reported instances of being abused by lay staff members and clergy at Spiritan schools.

It said the vast majority occurred at Blackrock College and Willow Park Junior School.

It was reported this week that a government scoping report into sexual abuse at schools run by religious orders is set to recommend the establishment of a statutory inquiry.

While Restore Together welcomed this “in principle” it added that the advocacy group would “only do so if it is structured to ensure that there is no further delay in victims/survivors getting immediate access to the justice they urgently need”. 

“Victims/survivors have carried the burden of abuse for decades and are suffering on a daily basis,” said Restore Together in a statement. “Every delay adds to their suffering and impedes their recovery.”

It added that any restorative justice or similar support programme already in operation or under negotiation “must not be set back or delayed in any way by the establishment by the Government of a statutory inquiry”.

Restore Together said it has written to Education Minister Norma Foley “seeking an urgent meeting with her to discuss the terms of reference of any inquiry currently being drafted”.

The advocacy group cautioned that “inquiries and tribunals can take many years and far too long before bringing justice and closure for those involved”.

It called for any statutory inquiry to be structured to facilitate the “concurrent operation of parallel strands aimed at providing healing to victims/survivors”.

Restore Together said this would result in each individual’s circumstances being “swiftly addressed under one strand without having to wait for the conclusions and findings of the strand dealing with examining wider systemic issues of how and why such abuse took place and was concealed”.

Restore Together noted that some religious orders have already committed to restorative justice programmes and to redress schemes and that this progress “must not be displaced or delayed by any initiative by the government”.

The group added that “Justice delayed is justice denied” and that “every delay is retraumatising for them and damaging to their health”.

“The idea that a statutory inquiry might result in further delays is already causing great stress in our community,” said Restore Together.