Bishop of Limerick Brendan Leahy has said that the distressing, harrowing and devastating impact of the sex abuse at schools has not just destroyed lives of victims but is overwhelming for many in the church.

In a letter to parishes in response to the publication of the scoping inquiry into abuse at religious-run schools, Bishop Leahy said, “The cries of abuse pierce heaven. The destruction of innocence, of lives is beyond comprehension. As much as we try, there is no combination of words that can match the pain and evil inflicted,” he said.

“The whirl of the reports of devastation visited upon these survivors is a sword also through our own hearts. The level of it – and not a single case of abuse is understandable – too is appalling; 17 special schools recorded 590 allegations involving 190 alleged abusers.

“In our prayers and thoughts, we are mindful that what should have been places of sacred trust and care, schools run by Religious Orders, turned out to be locations of nightmarish horrors perpetrated by people, all of whom would have been nourished by the inspiring narratives of the founders of these Orders but who, instead, inflicted horribly destructive betrayals of vision, hope, and light.

“We must see those who abused for what they are. Perpetrators of the most horrific and vile crimes that destroyed young lives.”

Bishop Leahy continued, “As well as praying for the survivors, we have the storm of emotions and thoughts, questions and perplexities as well as sentiments of shame, anger and confusion that we have heard or read about as well as felt also deep within us.

“It cannot be otherwise when we read in the Scoping Inquiry how participants described being molested, stripped naked, raped and drugged amidst an atmosphere of terror and silence’. The distressing, harrowing and devastating impact of the abuse overwhelms us. It’s impossible to get our mind around it.”

The Scoping Inquiry offers, he said, important first steps in articulating important distinctions between the levels of abuse both in terms of the orders and of the schools. It also offers expert opinions regarding both causes as well as processes and next steps that can help in moving forward.

Bishop Leahy also acknowledged how this legacy is impacting on others in religious orders who have “lived their life of vocation with love and kindness”.

“We must not forget them today. They are suffering the experience of seeing so much good work done by their congregations to which they committed their lives, now being emptied before their eyes. I am mindful too of all priests as well as lay members of Church communities whose faith is yet again put to the test as they are surrounded by a legitimate chorus of lament and criticism that impacts deeply on them too.”