These black-robed figures used their power and influence to prevent their crimes against children from ever being found out.  If a member fell under suspicion, then the accusing child would be liable to worse abuse, while the perpetrator was moved to a place of safety to continue his work.

The BBC went as far as to name the cults involved:  The Christian Brothers and the Sisters of Mercy.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8059826.stm

The report (an executive summary can be found here:
http://www.childabusecommission.ie/rpt/ExecSummary.php)

Here are just a selection of its findings:

“The physical abuse of boys in Daingean was extreme. Floggings which were ritualised beatings should not have been tolerated in any institution and they were inflicted even for minor transgressions. Children who passed through Daingean were brutalised by the experience and some were damaged by it.”

“Sexual abuse was a chronic problem [at Letterfrack]. For two thirds of the relevant period there was at least one sexual abuser in the school, for almost one third of the period there were two abusers in the school and at times there were three abusers working in Letterfrack at the same time. Two abusers were present for periods of 14 years each and the Congregation could offer no explanation as to how these Brothers could have remained in the School for so long undetected and unreported. “

“Sexual abuse by staff was not as persistent a problem in Tralee as in Artane or Letterfrack, although one Brother was cited by complainants and by Brothers who had been on the staff in Tralee as ‘behaving inappropriately’ with the boys. He was on the staff for 20 years and his behaviour was known to at least three Superiors who did not attempt to stop it.”

“The documents revealed that a system of harsh and pervasive punishment existed in Glin during the relevant period. The documents also revealed that Brothers with a known propensity for sexual abuse were transferred to Glin indicating a serious indifference to the safety of children.”

“The documents showed that violent Brothers who were moved around from one school to another continued their violent behaviour. In Salthill, one Brother, who had been described as cruel in Letterfrack, continued his severe treatment of boys in Salthill and another continued his harshness in schools he was assigned to after Salthill. Internal Christian Brothers’ Reports identified a ‘severity in attitude’ towards the boys in the 1950s and the records would indicate a concern with six Brothers who had served in Salthill with regard to physical punishment.”

The catalogue of offences against children carried out systematically, over decades by these Catholic organisations puts the lie to the ‘one rotten apple’ defence. It is Catholicism’s morbid obsession with sex which has set the stage for these crimes, and despite this investigation being carried out over nine years, what has been done other to say sorry? – and the kinds of apologies offered so far have been along the lines of  ‘I’m sorry we got caught’ .