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Derek Scally introduces us to Sr Deirdre Tymon on page two of his 336-page reflective journey. He is investigating the Irish people, the Catholic Church, the Irish State and the unrequited love for the Vatican. On the topic of this book, the politics of Church State dysfunction and the legacy of a rule-based morality devoid of empathy or emotional intelligence, Sr Deirdre puts it succinctly: "There's a real anger" (p. 2). Even her former neighbours in Co Roscommon "who used to be very pious are now 'giving out yards' about the Church… the abuse, the cover ups, the state collusion, the apologies, the pain, the wasted lives, the broken families" (p. 2).

Child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church has become an international problem of truly global proportions and while much has been written on this topic much remains to be understood. This article describes and discusses the orientation and methodology adopted in undertaking a study of Irish Catholic clergy who had sexually abused minors. Whilst much of the literature on sexually offending clergy comes through third party analysis and interpretations, the study discussed in this article is based on first-person narratives and a collaborative approach to the research process. The study is taken as a point of departure for discussion of a number of ethical considerations when undertaking research with participants who are clients of a therapy service and who are therefore seen as members of a vulnerable group. Some of the complexities involved in conceptualizing men who have abused minors as a vulnerable group are considered.

This paper provides background to the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church in Ireland and outlines the particular Irish dimensions to the problem. It argues that a systemic perspective offers best promise to conceptualise the problem of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and outlines. In turning to how the problem has been investigated by statutory and church commissioned inquiries and commissions of investigation (Murphy, 2009; Ryan, 2009) it becomes apparent that how the past is investigated and framed is not merely a neutral matter, but one that is complexly interwoven with present politic and changing social conditions. In offering a critique of the Murphy Report into the Handling of Abuse Complaints in the Archdioceses of Dublin (Murphy, 2009), as one example of a statutory commission of investigation in Ireland, some significant legal and methodological issues are raised that give cause for concern regarding some of the findings and judgements made. What cannot be disputed however is the fact that thousands of children were abused by Catholic clergy in Ireland and worldwide. We owe it to them to get to the full truth of what occurred and to prevent its re-occurrence. In considering a way forward for the church, victims of clergy must be placed at the centre of the church's response, other key actors must be brought together in dialogue and the church must deal with the systemic genesis of the problem in a spirit of institutional reform and transformation.

For more than 40 years I have worked in the field of sexual violence, and while not exclusively so for all of this time, it has nonetheless always been there. Sexual violence in all its multidimensions has always been part of my professional life – to a greater or lesser extent – and that does not seem to want to end any time soon. From my first child sexual abuse 'case' as a young Irish social worker in Brixton in 1976 to issues involving sexual harassment on campus and online child exploitation, with which I am concerned today, my professional life has involved almost every aspect of sexual violence – legal, social, therapeutic, organisational, research and policy – and for most of that time from all perspectives simultaneously. The work has also involved the full 360 degrees concerning multiple parties all together: victims, perpetrators, both sets of families, criminal justice systems and professionals, media, politicians, policy makers, communities, the Catholic Church (Keenan, 2012) and more latterly the film industry (http://themeetingfilm.com/). Sexual violence in its many dimensions seems to seek me out, and it is in this context too that I also first came to work with Ivo Aertsen when he supervised a Daphne-funded research project on Integrated Approaches to Sexual Violence: the Role of Restorative Justice, led by Estelle Zinsstag and myself (Zinsstag and Keenan, 2017). In this tribute article to the work of Ivo Aertsen, we will begin by outlining Marie's work in the area of sexual violence and illustrate developments in Marie's thought over this time. We will conclude by offering the perspective of Ailbhe, a young woman who suffered a sexual assault and her journey towards restorative justice and getting her life back. ; 2019-10-01 JG: PDF updated at publisher's request ; Checkdate to update citation details. Embargo 6 months after publication date - AC

In addition to the more conventional approaches of the criminal justice system, this article suggests that there is a need for restorative justice as another method of addressing sexual crime. In support of this view, the present article explores the possibility of a hybrid justice system based on a complementary relationship between restorative justice and the criminal justice system. An analysis of the limits of the criminal justice system and the need for restorative justice in the contentious area of sexual violence will be followed by a detailed examination of key justice considerations when trying to marry both criminal justice and restorative justice perspectives. Such considerations include the meaning of justice, legislation, sentencing principles, due process, victims' rights and the location of restorative justice within/alongside/outside the criminal justice system. The aim of this article is to determine whether it is possible to reconcile two seemingly juxtaposed methods of justice delivery in the context of sexual violence in order to create a hybrid system of justice that best protects and responds to the rights and needs of victims and offenders. ; European Commission ; Daphne III