Tuesday night’s RTE programme on the buried children of Tuam was a shocking summary of what we know to date.
But the buck stops with the Bon Secour nuns who ill-treated and starved those babies to death before storing their poor little bodies in a sewerage tank.
The buck also stops with the Archdiocese of Tuam in whose territory this holocaust took place.
The following must now happen:
1. The Irish government must now put a commission of archaeologists, medics and lawyers in charge of the whole operation. Catherine Corless must me a vital part of that commission and perhaps chairperson.
2. All others, especially any Catholic Church person or their lackies, must be kept totally away from this investigation to stop them interfering – as is their way.
3. All the bodies must be carefully removed and taken to a secure and respectful location where the work of reassembling all individual babies must take place.
4. A full report should be prepared on each little baby and a huge effort made to identify them from DNA, birth certificates, death certificates etc.
5. Where possible every effort should me made to discover and approach any family members of the baby and give them full information on their deceased little relative.
6. When the work is over a solemn and impressive monument should be erected in Tuam naming all the children who perished in the Catholic Concentration Camp in Tuam.
7. The state should call a national day of mourning for the victims and a State ceremony of Remembrance should be held. All Catholic bishops, priests and religious should be banned from being present at this ceremony.
8. New legislation should be brought in to be able to charge any individual Tuam nun still living alongside legislation to charge the Bon Secour order and Tuam Archdiocese with corporate manslaughter.
BISHOP PAT BUCKLEY 