The #Church of Ireland, the Irish branch of the Anglican Communion, has been the latest institution forced to deal with the issue of child sexual abuse after 77-year-old Patrick O'Brien, a lay volunteer at St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, was jailed for 13 years for abusing 14 boys over 40 years.
The issue is an uncomfortable one as Ireland's largest religious minority has largely been spared the spate of abuse cases which hit the majority Roman #Catholic Church, a key factor in the decline of weekly Mass attendance in the Republic from 91% in 1973 to 35% at the most recent survey in 2012.
http://uk.blastingnews.com/europe/2016/11/church-of-ireland-hit-by-child-abuse-allegations-001272959.html
The issue is an uncomfortable one as Ireland's largest religious minority has largely been spared the spate of abuse cases which hit the majority Roman #Catholic Church, a key factor in the decline of weekly Mass attendance in the Republic from 91% in 1973 to 35% at the most recent survey in 2012.
http://uk.blastingnews.com/europe/2016/11/church-of-ireland-hit-by-child-abuse-allegations-001272959.html