Child safeguarding conference for diocese tonight

An invitation-only child-safeguarding conference for the Diocese of Kilmore will take place tonight (Thursday, May 24), after a recommendation from the Church's National Board for Safeguarding Children. The conference comes after a review of safeguarding practices in the diocese, where paedophile priest Fr Brendan Smyth was based. Smyth infamously continued working in the Kilmore diocese for years after allegations of child sexual abuse had been made against him. The recent BBC documentary 'This World: The Shame of the Catholic Church' claimed information about his abuses had been passed on to church authorities, including Cardinal Seán Brady, then Fr Brady. There have been widespread calls for Cardinal Brady's resignation since, but he decided to remain as Primate of the Catholic Church in Ireland. The conference will be held in the Pastoral Centre, Cavan, tonight at 7.30pm, and four speakers will address the conference: Ian Elliott - CEO, National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church; Gerry Lowry - Child Care Manager at Cavan/Monaghan HSE; Cavan Garda Superintendant James Coen and Bishop of Kilmore Leo O'Reilly, who was not in place at the time of Smyth's abuses.