Paul Keenan
Dr Neary promises ‘full cooperation’ with inquiry
Archbishop Michael Neary of Tuam has expressed his “horror and sadness” at the details of infant burials at a former orphanage in the archdiocese.
Responding to news reports that between 1926 and 1961 some 796 babies had been interred in what is being described as a septic tank, Archbishop Neary issued a statement on June 4 on the matter.
“I was greatly shocked, as we all were, to learn of the magnitude of the numbers of children buried in the graveyard in Tuam. I am horrified and saddened to hear of the large number of deceased children involved and this points to a time of great suffering and pain for the little ones and their mothers.
“I can only begin to imagine the huge emotional wrench which the mothers suffered in giving up their babies for adoption or by witnessing their death. Many of these young vulnerable women would already have been rejected by their families. The pain and brokenness which they endured is beyond our capacity to understand. It is simply too difficult to comprehend their helplessness and suffering as they watched their beloved child die.”
Action
Stressing that the issue now required “urgent action”, the archbishop welcomed the announcement by Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Mr Charlie Flanagan TD, to establish a cross-departmental examination of the burial arrangements for children in Mother and Baby Homes and assured that the Tuam archdiocese, though having no direct responsibility for the running of the orphanage, would “cooperate fully”. He further called on the Bon Secours Sisters, who ran the orphanage, to “to act upon their responsibilities in the interest of the common good”.
Archbishop Neary added: “The diocese will continue to work with the sisters and the local community to provide a suitable commemorative prayer based memorial service, and plaque, and to ensure that the deceased and their families will never be forgotten.
“It will be a priority for me, in cooperation with the families of the deceased, to seek to obtain a dignified re-interment of the remains of the children in consecrated ground in Tuam."
Speaking on June 4 regrading the cross-departmental examination, Ciaran Canon, Minister of State at the Department of Education assured that the work already undertaken in uncovering the Tuam burials would now be "taken further".
"The first thing that will be done may well be a scoping exercise to determine exactly what happened. We need to determine firstly the accuracy of the reports that are emerging."
