Church of Ireland archbishops apologise following mother and baby home report
THE Church of Ireland Archbishops of Armagh and Dublin have spoken of their shame that members of their church were “complicit” in the culture which stigmatised unmarried women and their babies in Ireland.
The Most Revd John Mcdowell and The Most Revd Dr Michael Jackson were speaking after the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation published its report this week.
More than one in 10 children admitted to Ireland’s mother and baby homes died, the report said
The institutions — mostly run by religious organisations and overseen by the Irish government — were established for unmarried mothers and their babies at a time when they were stigmatised by society.
The report said that 9000 children had died in the institutions.
Several of the homes — the Bethany Home in Dublin, Denny House and Miss Carr’s had a Protestant ethos.
Bethany’s management committee including members of the Church of Ireland, as well as Presbyterians, Methodists and Plymouth Brethren.
In a statement the archbishops said some members of the Church of Ireland were ‘complicit’ in stigmatising of unmarried women and their babies.
“The pain and hurt experienced by the women and children in these homes has been shocking and disturbing, and their response has been courageous and inspiring,” the Archbishops said. “We acknowledge with shame that members of the Church of Ireland were complicit, as with the rest of society at that time, in a culture of hypocrisy and judgement which stigmatised women and children and endangered their health and well-being.
“We are sorry and apologise for the role that our Church played in shaping a society in which unmarried women and their children were treated in this way.
“They deserved much better.’ The archbishops also paid tribute to the former residents of the mother and baby homes who, they said, had focused the attention of society on what had happened to the women and their babies while in the care of the homes. “One of the most prominent groups was associated with the Bethany Home, which operated under a general Protestant ethos while being independently managed.
“We acknowledge the Commission’s detailed and extensive reporting and we must all feel ashamed when we consider the social pressures and judgements that drove so many women and their children into these deserts within our community.
“Everyone who has read this Report and related coverage can only be moved on behalf of the women and children whose stories are told within it.
“This is a sombre time for us all,” they said.