“Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Church in Ireland…”
Will Crawley provides some background on the “relationship between the Vatican and the international sex abuse crisis.” Meanwhile, Damian Thompson, who thinks Seán Brady should resign, has the text of Benedict’s pastoral letter to the Catholic Church in Ireland. [Adds See also Brian's post below] From the pastoral letter
14. I now wish to propose to you some concrete initiatives to address the situation.At the conclusion of my meeting with the Irish bishops, I asked that Lent this year be set aside as a time to pray for an outpouring of God’s mercy and the Holy Spirit’s gifts of holiness and strength upon the Church in your country. I now invite all of you to devote your Friday penances, for a period of one year, between now and Easter 2011, to this intention. I ask you to offer up your fasting, your prayer, your reading of Scripture and your works of mercy in order to obtain the grace of healing and renewal for the Church in Ireland. I encourage you to discover anew the sacrament of Reconciliation and to avail yourselves more frequently of the transforming power of its grace.
Continued
Particular attention should also be given to Eucharistic adoration, and in every diocese there should be churches or chapels specifically devoted to this purpose. I ask parishes, seminaries, religious houses and monasteries to organize periods of Eucharistic adoration, so that all have an opportunity to take part. Through intense prayer before the real presence of the Lord, you can make reparation for the sins of abuse that have done so much harm, at the same time imploring the grace of renewed strength and a deeper sense of mission on the part of all bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful.
I am confident that this programme will lead to a rebirth of the Church in Ireland in the fullness of God’s own truth, for it is the truth that sets us free (cf. Jn 8:32).
Furthermore, having consulted and prayed about the matter, I intend to hold an Apostolic Visitation of certain dioceses in Ireland, as well as seminaries and religious congregations. Arrangements for the Visitation, which is intended to assist the local Church on her path of renewal, will be made in cooperation with the competent offices of the Roman Curia and the Irish Episcopal Conference. The details will be announced in due course.
I also propose that a nationwide Mission be held for all bishops, priests and religious. It is my hope that, by drawing on the expertise of experienced preachers and retreat-givers from Ireland and from elsewhere, and by exploring anew the conciliar documents, the liturgical rites of ordination and profession, and recent pontifical teaching, you will come to a more profound appreciation of your respective vocations, so as to rediscover the roots of your faith in Jesus Christ and to drink deeply from the springs of living water that he offers you through his Church.
In this Year for Priests, I commend to you most particularly the figure of Saint John Mary Vianney, who had such a rich understanding of the mystery of the priesthood. “The priest”, he wrote, “holds the key to the treasures of heaven: it is he who opens the door: he is the steward of the good Lord; the administrator of his goods.” The Curé d’Ars understood well how greatly blessed a community is when served by a good and holy priest: “A good shepherd, a pastor after God’s heart, is the greatest treasure which the good Lord can grant to a parish, and one of the most precious gifts of divine mercy.” Through the intercession of Saint John Mary Vianney, may the priesthood in Ireland be revitalized, and may the whole Church in Ireland grow in appreciation for the great gift of the priestly ministry.
Adds Some reaction here.
And Of course, it’s all Francis Bacon’s fault…
I have my suspicions…
pippakin,
I set out to give some appreciation of Child Sexual Abuse and the extent of the problem of which historically the RC church was responsible for a significant segment in Ireland. This activity is something that institutions cannot be turn off like turning off a tap. While there are still and indeed always will be paedophile activities arising within the Church, the problem is out in the open and the situations where it could arise are now closely monitored as are any possible suspects.
The ignored areas of Child Sexual Abuse, that within disfunctional families, Street children involved in prostitution to survive and all the other areas mentioned are still out there and functioning in this island tonight.
As to the Top Tier activity, Sir Maurice Oldfield, former head of intelligence in the North in the early eighties was every bit as powerful in Northern Ireland as Hoover was in States terms. Yet this all powerful individual that Tatcher had set her store was found ‘doing his thing’ in a public toilet. Plenty more more ‘Maurices types’ out there tonight, pillar of the establishment doing their thing and above all protecting their own perverted kind in High Society!
Finally why the deafening silence from all the usual suspects were willing to contest every issue with me whenever I challenged other aspects of State abuse and neglect. Could it be that some of these bright chaps do not wand to add fuel to the fire and want this debate to wither on the vine? Their silence is eloquent!
Eating body and blood? ….. Transubstantiation is canabalism then.
Religion is absurd nonsense!
Religion is slavery!
Munsterview
Depressing as it is I believe you and totally agree with you.
Gragoir O Fraincin
Religion was a very effective way of keeping the masses in their place for a very, very long time. I empathise with those who feel their faith is threatened, but they should also feel reassured, their faith will become the way it should always have been.
Just for clarity, does anyone know what would the ‘standard’ penance be in a confession for child rape ? Is it a mortal sin per se or would a few stations of the cross cover it or what other guidance is made available to priests in deciding how to deal with this if they come across it in a confession situation ? Just thinking that it might help shine some light across how seriously the church took or still takes this purely in sin weightiness terms ?
I dont know but it seems like a dozen hail marys and a slap on the wrist probably did for past cases.
“Just for clarity, does anyone know what would the ‘standard’ penance be in a confession for child rape ?”
I believe to be that “it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck….. than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.”
So said Jesus, according to Luke 17:2.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/23/pope-benedict-catholic-paedophile-crisis
Here’s something to chomp on!!
The fact is whatever ‘punishment’ the church meted out to its perverts, and it was not much, they treated the victims as the accused. The thinking over decades has been warped beyond belief.
The church needs to accept the rule of law in every country and they need to do this publically.
TellMeMa
I read it and it changes nothing. Indeed as head of the Doctrine or Inquisition, he must have known of the allegations and the cover ups.
pippakin – absolutely.
TellMeMa – what specifically is it you’re inviting us to chomp on ?
pippakin,
“Indeed as head of the Doctrine or Inquisition, he must have known of the allegations and the cover ups.”
He knew. That’s why I can’t see or hear the phrase “holy shit” without thinking of Ratz.
I’ll tell me Ma
When I get home,
The priests won’t leave
The boys alone…
I do not like thee doctor fell,
the reason why I cannot tell,
but this I know and know full well
I do not like thee doctor fell…
pippakin
An implausible segue, but perhaps we could on WH Auden’s behalf adopt another verse by way of a tribute to TellMeMa and his/her ilk….not entirely sure the kid Turner would approve though…
“Looking up at the stars, I know quite well
That, for all they care, I can go to hell”
Seosamh913
Cruel, but apt…maybe.
It seems that this debate has run it’s course. There were I think around twenty five contributers and one hundred and sixty five postings, not bad as these things go. Sincere thanks to all who took part.
As I referred to in my own contributions I have unfortunately, more than the the average knowledge of this problem. While Clerical abuse is not even the tip of the iceberg compared to what really is out there, any abuse from this source is and must remain among the most despicable and inexcusable there is.
While The Roman Catholic measures introduced to deal with this problem have been greeted as ‘too little, too late’ as indeed it is for past victims, these measures are by in large effective and where shortcomings arise, unlike previously, this situation just will not be tolerated by the lower ranks of the Church, by the laity or the general public.
Those days are well gone and if nothing else victims have that to show for their terrible traumas that will stay with them until their dying day. No amount of monetary compensation, or litany of apologies no matter how sincere can compensate for their living nightmares.
As to coming to grips with the other areas of Child Sexual Abuse, when realistic measures and resourced personnel and dedicated units from either the Health Boards or the Gardai are made available to trace these children then we know those in power have become really concerned about the problem rather than the optics of it.
These children missing from care are greater in number that the average of many village schools in the South, one can imagine the outcry if such a school population of children went missing, yet this is not a concern of The Fourth Estate or indeed any other estate!
Just as any keyed in reporter of National affairs can list a plethora of public figures that are cocaine and other drug users, so also they can name, or at least know who rumors concerning pedophile activity are circulating about. These Public Figures are not named for their Cocaine use nor will they be investigated or named for pedophile activity.
The editor of the Sunday Tribune gave a talk on journalism in Limerick University recently and to the best of my knowledge in response to a question from the audience, she did not deny that Security Correspondents are collectively wined and dined at public expense by Senior members of the Gardai at regular intervals for a good old ‘off the record’ intimate evening of chat.
Any security Corr. breaking a story against the Cops do not get invited to the next behind closed doors bash and neither do they receive the inside ‘tip offs’ without which they could not function on an informed basis.
The editor also confirmed all newspapers had to work with this system and accordingly any account of Cops wrongdoing or stories critical of the Gardai had to be broken by a reporter other than a Security Correspondent. This is reality and reduces the Sec. Cors. to little other than Gardai carriers of P.R. spin!
And people still wonder why nothing really changes? Would Mick Fealty consider verifying this information with the Sunday Tribune? Is the same situation operative in the North? How can the general public be informed as to what is happening if our press has to pull it’s punches and avoid stories that will alienate police sources. Just what matters in the public arena, if any are outside the interests of the police.?
This is but one insight into the magnitude of the public sphere information problem but it is one that can be verified and exposed as it apparently was in the Limerick seminar. Any takers out there?
Munsterview
You paint a grim picture. This scandal involving the church shows the power of public opinion once galvanised. I hope the church will report all allegations of abuse to the civil authorities from now on.
I also believe the truth regarding other abusers, be they drugs or worse, will out itself eventually and the power of the public will once again assert itself.
pippakin
I agree but the public should not under any circumstances trust the clergy to ‘get it right’ of their own accord in absence of acceptable standards of transparency. We should also insist on end end to this nauseating clerical self-pity and bogus naivete over the recent allegations and revelations.
The state should also now move, once and for all, to place the care, education and welfare of its children beyond the reach and influence of religious orders of all kinds. Any self-respecting democratic population should insist on this as an absolute minimum standard.
In the meantime, parents should continue to be encouraged to keep their children away from churches and from the very dangerous people who frequent them.
Seosamh913
I hope the state will take over the running of all schools, including Catholic and Protestant. It is very important all children get a properly balanced education.
I believe most priests, who knew very little of the abuse allegations, will be far more cautious and vigilant of new priests sent to their parishes in future.
Parents gave their full trust to the church and that trust has been betrayed. I think parents will now treat the clergy in the same way they would treat any unknown person in contact with their children.
I think this scandal is far from over. It will take some time and probably more exposures for the church hierarchy to accept and introduce the necessary changes.
Ppipkin
At this stage of my life I have known hundreds of religious and the vast majority of them were good, dedicated, self sacrificing people who could have had comfortable well paying careers in lay life yet they choose a life of service.
The impression is given that pedophile priests are ‘two a penny’ inside the Irish Church, not so. I have met a few ex religious criminals, I have met some in religious that were a disgrace to Christianity but in all my years working with victims I have never actually met or been knowingly in the company of a pedophile priest or other religious sexual offender.
I would have thought that fairness and balance was a characteristic of this site, let’s keep it that way folks and not forget all the decent religious people still out there and having to work in the shadow and suspicion created by these offenders. Even twenty years ago I knew curates working sixty or more hour weeks, that in financial terms, would have been better off on the dole!
Well said, Munsterview. My experience is not quite the same as yours but, in general, it’s exactly right. Which is why I believe what I call the “evil ones” need to be outed quickly before a cloud falls over all.
The word knowingly is rather key in that statement Munsterview. I don’t disagree that we can safely assume there are probably a majority of priests who are not child rapists.
Given the institutional scale of this problem and the immensity of the collusion necessary to its concealment down the generations I personally would want to say a little more for any faith that I followed than that the majority of our chaps are really quite nice most of the time and do a fair few hours now sure god be good to them. Wouldn’t you think ?
Munsterview
If you read my last comment you would have seen I made sure to point out, as I always do, that I believe most of the clergy were unaware of the abuse and the cover ups.
If there is an impression given that everyone in the church may be painted with the same brush, that impression is not given by me. It has actually been given by the church.
I find your comment that clergy could have got better paying jobs outside the church odd, it is obvious well educated people would have every opportunity in the job market. Paedophiles would not be concerned with the salary scales.
Do not talk down to me with vague references of vast experience. If you knew any priest was an abuser you should have reported it, similarly with any member of a political party or public institution.
Munsterview: Thank you for your worthwhile comments.
I have a few more articles for chomping:
The first was published in 2009 when the Murphy report first came out:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article6936278.ece Murphy report: Church with a rotten core
The second is quite recent:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article7072904.ece?token=null&offset=0&page=1 Churches quit religion forum over atheist articles of faith
While not entirely exonerating the religious folk in this (I don’t know enough about the situation), sometimes secularist and atheist behaviour reminds me of Carson’s “not wanting a Catholic about the place”. Secularists and atheists can be bigoted and narrow-minded too.
The third article is also recent and to me is the most interesting:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article7068604.ece?token=null&offset=0&page=1 Therapy led to soaring abuse rate in Irish Church Irish bishops often sent sex offender priests for therapy rather than using Church law which orders the defrocking of paedophile clergy
“Allegations of abuse were disastrously mishandled by the Dublin archdiocese up until roughly the mid-1990s after which time diocesan authorities finally began to deal with allegations properly.
“The Catholic Church in Ireland now operates arguably the most robust child protection system in the country, something that is rarely acknowledged. The public still appears to believe that the Church has learned nothing, and done nothing. This is simply not true.”
It does not seem to me that most Slugger posters who are anti-Catholic have quite grasped this, and ignore any comment to the contrary. To ignore the experience and the successful child protection system that the Catholic Church now has in Ireland will be a loss to society. Making all institutions secular will not solve the problem of paedophilia and other forms of child sex abuse.
The article also discusses the causes of clerical sex abuse and points out that the Catholic Church is not the only institution which has had (and still has) paedophile activity:
“The search for the causes of clerical sex abuse has been ongoing. …No evidence has ever been advanced to show that celibates who look after children are more likely to be abusers than non-celibates who look after children.
“What we do know is that while children have been abused in Catholic-run institutions, they have also been abused in institutions run by other Churches, in State-run institutions, in institutions run by other bodies, and of course, in their own homes as well.”
Finally, “ A great deal of the coverage attaching to the issue of child abuse by Catholic clergy is undoubtedly motivated by animus towards the Catholic Church itself because abuse by other organisations rarely receives such coverage. This animus is motivated by rules and beliefs many outsiders find incomprehensible and grotesque, for example, the celibacy rule.” I would also add that if paedophile activity has been going on for centuries then most people affected by this crime would hate their experience of the Catholic Church.
But most Catholic clergy have been (and are) decent, hard-working and devout people. Otherwise the Church would not have survived 2010 years.
I mentioned that I had 3 uncles and one aunt who entered religious orders. All of them became headmasters (and headmistress). Two of my uncles left their religious orders and married though they stayed on teaching. My aunt is retired and elderly and she spends her time looking after even older nuns. Probably there will be no nuns to look after her when she needs help towards the end of her life. All of my relatives were decent and devout, dedicated to their work and to their religion (and they all disapproved of me leaving the Catholic Church).
I find it offensive that some of the people who have commented on Slugger, and the sub-editor who entitled the report “Church with a rotten core” to even insinuate that my relatives and most of the members of the Catholic Church aided and abetted paedophiles and/or were paedophiles or sex abusers themselves.
I doubt that in the overall 150 years or so my relatives have been in holy orders they even met a paedophile.
Sorry, this is amended:
“It does not seem to me that most Slugger posters who are anti-Catholic have quite grasped this…”
to
It seems to me me that most Slugger posters who are anti-Catholic have not quite grasped this…
So now if someone is anti child abuse, they are anti Catholic, that says more than anything about the depth of the problem.
Have a look at the blog: Harrysplace. I found it interesting.
The Irish Independent has an interesting article too, you cannot miss it, it is on the front page of google.
“I doubt that in the overall 150 years or so my relatives have been in holy orders they even met a paedophile.” – TellMeMa
That’s not likely – unless they were Catholic hermits. The reality is that 4% of Catholic priests – or 1 in 25 – are known sex abusers. Since that the Church covers up their activities, the real figure is likely to be substantially higher – more likely 10%, or 1 in 10. So your relatives would have met an extraordinarily high number of paedophiles dues to their chosen vocation. Like all close and closed communities, everybody knows everybody else, and knows what others are alleged to have done so they would have been more aware than society at large of many of them were sexually dysfunctional but thought it better to follow the hierarchy’s ‘three brass monkeys’ example and justify their moral failure as obedience and dedication to the continued sanctification of the Church…
Alias
I agree with you in this respect: Children were assaulted in the schools. Not by all the priests or nuns, but the innocent priest or nun must have known the abuse was happening.
It was different in the churches. A priest arrived, sent by the bishop, and presumably no one thought, or dared, to ask why.
I believe it will be better now.
Pip, if you want to know what is happening in a town or village or down a lonely bog road, ask a priest – they’re the local newspaper. They know everything that goes on, and you can be sure that the eyes behind the squinting windows that get the scent of a scandal would pry it out of the priest over tea and biscuits. Now, as a Mayo woman, don’t you know this…?
Alias
I think you will find gossips are very choosy what they gossip about and who they gossip to!
I genuinely believe the village and town priests had no idea what was being foisted upon them. After all who would knowingly take a child abuser into their midst? The trust of priests has been abused as much if not more than most, which is in fact a good reason to insist the church puts its house in order.
The Church cured them, remember?
Also, just on your substantive point, the problem is twofold: uncontrollable behaviour and how to monitor for its inevitable occurrence. The Church cannot cure its sex abusers, and since 4% of them are dysfunctional, it can resolve that problem by profiling its members to eliminate the dysfunctional. That isn’t even an option, so this institution remains one that is comprised of an unacceptably high level of sexual deviants. That’s the “appalling vista” here (Lord Denning’s infamous reference to why the interests of powerful institutions should take precedence over the rights of others) that the State and society at large doesn’t want to face up to – that this institution is unfit and unsafe to be granted unsupervised access to children. The controls that the Church intends to ‘put’ in place are actually already in place and have been in place although the accumulation of these cases, so there is no reason to be reassured by them. Canon Law will continued to conflict with civil law in that it imposes obligations on the faithful to place that are not served by brining the Church into public disgrace – that appalling vista again. You are dealing with systemic failure, and an organisation that is not fit for purpose.
Alias
But surely the same could be said of any large organisation or institution.
The church must be made to put state law ahead of Canon law, when that happens the church will have moved into the real world.
No one who works with children should be able to do so without Garda or police clearance. This is made worthless if the church does not comply with the requirement to report allegations to the civil authorities. So the church must move into line, or the priests, nuns, monks, anyone who is protected by the church will have to be denied clearance. I can see no alternative.
S…..913,
Yes I did use the term,’ knowingly ‘, and deliberately so. Anyone involved in covert political activity quickly learns to pick out the branchman or woman in a crowd, if they do not they are picked off themselves. Likewise there are certain character mannerisms and ways about a lot of these people even down to the way they watch young children in a public place that give them away.
Yes, there was a widespread culture of what you call collusion and concealment, and that is of course exactly what it was. However I also know a little of Clerical culture, in some instances I have no doubt friendships were prevailed on etc by perverts to get their friends silences. Most of the casual cover ups happened because of the deep shame of priests regarding what they had become aware of and the need to protect what they see as the ‘good name of the church’
Please kindly note I am attempting to explain the behavior, not excuse it. It is easy be wise with hindsight. A Church do not exist in isolation, it is part of society, part of a general culture also. During the Celtic Tiger era it is now apparent that a ‘straight deal’ in most legal or financial institutions was almost an ecpetion to the rule. Tens of thousands of office secs and general operatives knew when ‘ illegal strokes ‘ were being pulled as did thousands of middle management and hundreds of Company Directors.
Can you name one in the South that came forward voluntarily since and shopped a former colleague for wrong doing ? These priests that should have acted and did not were also the brothers, uncles, sons etc of this very segment of society. It would have been very surprising indeed if some of these attitudes did not cross over.
Yes different standards should have applied but in effect ‘low standards in high places’ have been tolerated by the public for the forty years that I have been debating in public life. Berty Ahern wondered aloud at a public press conference as to why people like me that were shouting stop, enough already, did not commit suicide! He got a good laugh back then from the press. Not too many laughing now ! I at least can now face my young adult children and say, I spoke out back then and I was banned from radio, TV, had my phones tapped ( still do ) and was also effectively barred from participating in grant aided cultural festivals for doing so!
Pip. If you got the impression that I was talking down to you, then you are mistaken and I regret that you got that impression. As for ‘vague references’ there are legal niceties involved here that I am well aware of, based on experienced and please give me credit for that. As for reporting, yes I have all the way to the Cardinal. As to the State, a mother I know had her son used as a child prostitute by a police informer.
She is currently waiting twelve weeks for a reply to her last letter send to the Minister For Justice Dermot Ahern on the matter! His last to her recommended she going to the Police, the very people she was complaining of having covered up the abuse. Some of us have more than ‘vague experience’ and live in the real world.
Pip,
this site is considered reading for political ‘insiders’ in this island including Southern Authorities. This is not the first time that I have mentioned the Mother of a Child Sexual Abuse Victim of a police informer, waiting a reply to a letter send to the Minister For Justice.
She even delivered the letter in person to his constituency office some weeks ago and handed it to his personal secretary.
This is the real attitude of the authorities you put so much faith in.
Munsterview
Anyone who has waited so long for action from the civil authorities either side of the border would have every right to name and shame publicly both the accused and the dept accused of cover up.
We are in a world of twenty four hour news, blogs, on line videos, etc. Neglect by the authorities is no longer acceptable or sustainable, which is why Liam Adams will shortly, or eventually, face trial.
It was not the govt or the gardai who exposed the church. It was the media.
Munsterview
Regarding your allusion to whistleblowing, that analogy falls at the first hurdle. We know that the hierarchy itself was aware of the problem and worked tirelessly and systematically to suppress any resolution to these issues with reference to the appropriate civil authorities here and elsewhere. Of course, we can also rightly point to formal and informal collusion between the authorities and some allegations which did come its way. To me, that comments adequately on the need for church and state’s relationship, particularly in the Republic, to be redefined and for appropriate steps to be taken to separate church and state once and for all.
Surely any suggestion of unwillingness on the church’s part to deal with this within the church with reference to the need to protect the ‘good name of the church’ provides adequate commentary in itself to the church’s sense of itself in the community and its place in the world more broadly, and its priorities as any form of moral authority.
I am happy to defer to any specialist knowledge on the nature of paedophilic behaviour itself which you may have but given the centrality of (often chillingly) manipulative behaviour to serial paedophiles I remain unconvinced (having worked with offenders myself in the past)that the give-aways are anything like as obvious as you might suggest.
Munsterview
I am sorry I just noticed the last paragraph of my comment #11 got ‘cut off’ somehow!
I went on to say there has been plenty of evidence of both judicial, gardai and political assistance given to the churches attempts to cover up paedophilia and brutality, up to and including bearing the brunt of the compensation paid to victims, at least until the Ryan and Murphy reports when the church was, once again, shamed into upping the offer. The attempt at cover up was I understand one of the main reasons Albert Reynolds was deposed.
I am sorry I got a bit tetchy yesterday.
I’m glad you joined in the chomping today, Alias. I missed you yesterday. I hope you do not disappoint me again.
Should one say that your assertions about my relatives are far more important and valid than their actual experience?
It is very wearyiing that, despite so much evidence of systemic turning a blind eye/minimising the reality of child abuse within the Church, some on this site are determined, to put “the good name of the church” the focus of their attention not the child.
I do agree that it is necessary to be fair to priests and religious who have done no wrong but at this point the focus must be on safeguarding children. Remember when looking at stats we still do not know the numbers of religous who knew and because of a culture of cover up just did nothing.
Put it this way, when I was a teacher if I had passed on info to the dedicated staff person and had neglected to follow up to ensure that action had been taken,nomatter how long ago, I would at this moment be examining my conscience.
Having listened to Ian Elliot howver I am convinced that he is a grand person to lead this change (and not because,ironically, he is not a Catholic but an expert). Its still a big ask of anmybody to translate new safeguarding policy documents into practice and to change values in such a large institution.
The sheer amount of denial and tolerance of misdeeds in the guise of biblical understandings of eg “let those amongst you without sin …etc” confirms to me that we must stand up and be counted. If this is anti Catholic so be it.
I can’t be the only one noticing a grating sense of bogus victimhood coming through here from some defenders of the catholic church. One might also say siege mentality. Very telling it is too.
I reiterate the ray of hope to all paedophile-haters (though it is reality, not a hope):
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article7068604.ece?token=null&offset=0&page=1
“The Catholic Church in Ireland now operates arguably the most robust child protection system in the country, something that is rarely acknowledged. The public still appears to believe that the Church has learned nothing, and done nothing. This is simply not true.”
The church may say it has cleaned house, but it is not immediately obvious to most.
It has been said on RTE that the church has still not acknowledged the obligation to report allegations of abuse. Just last weekend the Archbishop said complete openness was the only way forward.
It is not a subject people can let go of unless they are sure changes have been made. Most people really do not want to dwell on such a painful subject at all, let alone the length of time this has taken.
TellMeMa
David Quinn is the former editor of The Irish Catholic and a founding member of the Iona Institute so it’s beyond me why you would be inviting us to be particularly impressed by anything he has to say on this or indeed any other matter.
Seisang913: Even if what David says is true?
TellMeMa
The part of the article you highlight is opinion, not fact. He doesn’t attempt to corroborate this. Why would I be impressed by this ?
Post 19:I do not know who David Quinn is or what he has done to you but surely the Iona Institute comes with impeccable credentials – certainly the Iona Community has links with Corrymeela for whom I have the utmost respect.
Post 19:I do not know who David Quinn is or what he has done to you but surely the Iona Institute comes with impeccable credentials – certainly the Iona Community has links with Corrymeela for whom I have the utmost respect.
trixie
Impeccable credentials if you esteem right-wing homophobic ‘family values’ thinking, strong support for segregated denominational education, sure.
Well,if it is as you say, then as you probably have gathered, I would be likely to identify with your view. (but where is Daddy Mick – this is playing the man, albit with a purpose.).
However |I am still curious as to the Iona connection denoted in the name- is the Institute appropriating it to disguise its real intent?
I had a lovely break on Iona and like C’Mella, associate it with ecumenism,healing and environmentalism (bit like continuing movements of 60s and 70s).I also think they are linked to Coventry Cathedral. Despite my resepct for them all however, they are still too full of religious practices to suit me.