The Bishop of Ferns, Dr Eamonn Walsh has offered his unreserved and sincere apology to the victims of sexual abuse in the diocese.
Speaking at a news conference after the publication of the Ferns Inquiry report, Dr Walsh said the litany of "horrible, horrible reports of abuse and rape all condensed together" had left him speechless and said that he could not "imagine the courage it must have taken for people to come forward" and who so bravely and courageously recounted their "horrific stories of sexual abuse".
Dr Walsh welcomed the publication of the report saying it brought to a conclusion the comprehensive work of Mr Justice Frank Murphy and his team. He said he accepted the report's findings and, on behalf of the diocese, he acknowledged the inquiry team's "painstaking and dedicated work".
Dr Walsh said he could not even describe what the victims of abuse have been through. "They have described the fear of not being believed", but said that the publication of the report was a public acknowledgement "that they are being believed and that they are being heard". He added that the report provided important lessons for the Church in the area of child protection.
The Bishop also apologised to those whose abuse was "compounded by the response or the lack of response by the diocese" and said "words of apology cannot be left unspoken".
In a statement issued this afternoon, Dr Walsh acknowledged the findings of the inquiry that some priests who were ordained for the Diocese, should not have been ordained.
"The report is a sober reminder to me and to the priests of the Diocese of Ferns of the depth of damage that has been done to those who were abused by priests."
Dr Walsh outlined a number of structures and measures in place to ensure that no priest about whom there are child protection concerns "are, or will be, permitted to minister in the Diocese."
He thanked the people of the diocese for their support, but acknowledged that they had been "let down". He said there were hard lessons to be learned from the findings and "much to be done to repair the damage to those who were abused."