What did the Martin sisters request from the Catholic Church?

The Martin sisters requested that every Irish diocese proactively facilitate direct engagement between abuse survivors and church leaders.

How did the facilitated meeting impact the Martin sisters?

The meeting with Diocese of Raphoe representatives was described as deeply healing, bringing peace and a sense of being heard and understood.

Does the Catholic Church have a standard policy for engaging abuse survivors?

The Catholic Church does not have a single policy for all dioceses; each church body manages responses to survivors individually.

Home / Crime and Justice / Sisters Seek Church Accountability After Abuse

Sisters Seek Church Accountability After Abuse

8 Jan

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Summary

Abused sisters advocate for direct engagement between survivors and leaders.
A facilitated meeting with church representatives was deeply healing for survivors.
The Catholic Church states commitment to continuous learning and positive response.

Sisters Seek Church Accountability After Abuse

Two sisters, Paula and Margaret Martin, who were abused by a former priest in County Donegal, are calling for greater engagement between abuse survivors and Catholic Church leaders throughout Ireland. They emphasized that a facilitated meeting with representatives from the Diocese of Raphoe in the past year provided significant healing and a sense of being truly heard.

The Martin sisters experienced abuse as children and had approached the Church multiple times over 25 years without adequate resolution. Following the abuser's conviction, the sisters initiated civil proceedings, which led to a meeting with senior church figures, including Monsignor Kevin Gillespie and Bishops Philip Boyce and Alan McGuckian. This dialogue, mediated in Londonderry, was described as a safe and honest space.