I started reading the Ferns Inquiry report over the weekend. I only got through the first 50 pages. I haven't reached any of the allegations yet, which start around page 70.
Most of the early pages are devoted to definitions and an analysis of the history of treatment of child sex abuse, both within the Church and without. Chapter three is dedicated to the legal and managerial structures in the Church and the relevant government bodies. Even though I sort of knew this, it is amazing what a 'flat organization' the Catholic Church is. The Parish Priest (Pastor in the US) reports directly to the Bishop, who reports to the Pope. Some parishes have one or more curates (associate priests, I think, in the US). A Bishop must appoint a Vicar General and can have one or two others (more in a big diocese) to help him with the administration duties. (Compare this with the Gardai: in descending order - Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner Operations, Assistant Commissioner, Chief Superintendent, Superintendent, Inspector, Sergeant, Garda.)
There are 49 parishes in the diocese of Ferns. This should mean that the Bishop will have 49 direct reports. However, due to an oddity that dates back to the famine, all the Curates are also assigned to their own Church, known as "half parishes". This means that the Bishop of Ferns has 92 priests reporting directly to him. In the 1980s it was around 150.
This flat organization ensures that each individual parish priest exercises a great deal of authority within his parish. And, every Bishop exercises a great deal of authority with his diocese. I'll be interested to see if the report's authors believe that the structure of the Church was a big part of the problem.
