Press Release

A statement in relation to the Report of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation.

We are grateful for the work of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and for the publication of their final report in which Irish Church Missions is mentioned. The commission’s report is heart-breaking, and our deepest sympathies are with those who continue to live with the consequences of the horrible abuse of power that went unchecked for so many years by those who ought to have been practicing charity. 

While ICM did not found, manage or finance any Mother and Baby Homes, it was undoubtedly part of a wider church and society that did not question the existence or role of the Homes. Some staff and supporters of ICM also volunteered in Bethany Home. The suffering endured by vulnerable women and their children is a matter of deep sorrow and regret, and we would like to apologise to survivors for any wrongs that were committed by those associated with ICM.

We are glad that our historical records were of some use to the commission during the course of their investigation into Bethany Home, and our hope and prayer is that the publication of this report will be a significant step towards a greater acknowledgement and understanding of this tragic aspect of our shared national history. We also pray that this will bring a measure of comfort to survivors and their families.