“Establishing the facts”; “avoiding a repeat”; “cooperating fully with justice”; and facilitating “the healing process” – these are the four steps taken by the Church of Ireland in recent years to respond to the scandal of abuse committed by priests and religious. Child abuse was also a topic of discussion at the audience the Irish Bishops had with Pope Francis this morning. The Bishops thanked the Holy Father for his personal closeness to the victims of abuse. An attitude that is “a source of inspiration” for the Bishops, Archbishop Eamon Martin, President of the Irish Bishops’ Conference, said. Archbishop Eamon also reminded the press of what Pope Benedict XVI did for Ireland, when he suggested taking the path of “truth, prevention, justice, and healing”. The publication in Belfast this morning of a new Report on child abuse in Northern Ireland by Sir Anthony Hart reopens a wound that is still bleeding, and sadly some religious congregations are again called into question. This Report – Archbishop Eamon said – shows that “there is still much work to do in this respect”.