The Irish Times – Saturday, August 21, 2010
PATSY McGARRY Religious Affairs Correspondent
ABUSE FALLOUT: IRELAND’S CATHOLIC priests were criticised by speakers at the Humbert School in Castlebar, Co Mayo, yesterday for their “deafening silence” throughout the clerical child sex abuse scandal years.
Dublin abuse victim Marie Collins said that “the priests of Ireland during this crisis have let down many by their abject failure to speak up”.
Acknowledging a few exceptions, she said that in general priests’ silence had been “a huge disappointment”.
One in Four chief executive Maeve Lewis described Ireland’s priests as “utterly spineless, emasculated, afraid to speak out”. There had been “an incredible lack of response by priests and religious to the various reports”.
Ms Collins felt there might be some hope with a new priests’ association which may be established soon. But, she commented: “It’s already under severe attack from conservative Catholic commentators. Will it be smothered at birth?
“Will priests be afraid to join? Will it influence the future of the church in Ireland? I hope for the latter but fear the former will be its fate.”
She felt those same conservative forces, along with “most of his priest colleagues and bishops, who wanted Archbishop Diarmuid Martin to defend the indefensible after publication of the Murphy report – and who when he didn’t defend the indefensible attacked him for not doing so – are now rejoicing that he has been put in his box” with the pope’s refusal to accept the resignation of Dublin’s two auxiliary bishops ”.
That decision “shows how empty were his words to the Irish people in March … Does he think this action will restore respect? Where is the transparency in denying any explanation for this decision?” she asked.
“The bishops told us they were resigning to bring ‘peace and healing to victims’ yet it seems then behind the scenes they fought to have the resignations rejected.
“It’s more of the same hypocrisy and insincerity that victims have had to deal with for years.”
Abuse victim Andrew Madden spoke once again of his gratitude to Bishop Jim Moriarty “for the content and tone of his resignation letter” last December.
“His acknowledgement that ‘the long struggle of survivors to be heard and respected by church authorities had revealed a culture within the church that many would simply describe as unchristian’ was also very welcome and compared very favourably to Bishop Drennan calling survivors vengeful and Cardinal Brady trying to pass himself off as a wounded healer,” he said.
“Add to that the sickening sight of bishops Walsh and Field thinking they have won some battle to preserve their precious reputations, having lost sight of the fact that preserving reputations was one of the reasons so many children ended up being sexually abused in the first place,” he said.
On the same subject, Augustinian priest Fr Iggy O’Donovan said “you may rest assured that the decision in this case has everything to do with Church authority and little to do with whether or not these gentlemen were vigilant in their duties when it came to protecting children.
“The message is clear – in Rome nobody, not even the vast majority of the faithful, tells us what to do. Whether or when or if bishops are to resign is our decision.”
He said that “of all the episcopates in the world the present Irish incumbents are the least likely to challenge party headquarters”.
He said that “in recent decades the ranks of the Irish episcopate has been manned with second-raters, rather than men of vision and imagination”.
Failing the chance to plant your size 12 boot on one of the Popes puppets the next best thing might be to go to London on the 18th of September for the Protest the Pope march. All through the week preceding his visit there will be talks and films about the abuse carried out by Herr Ratzingers gang.
http://www.protestthepope.org.uk/
I remember being booted up the arse by a large nun in the presence of a visiting bishop with a retinue of men in black skirts. I thought they were nuns with moustaches so alike in black garb were they!
The bishop was sprinkling holy water around the place and on us who were kneeling, with joined hands, and when the water sprinkles hit the floor of the hall they picked up the dust and all I could see were these glittering liquid crystal rolling around the floor. Naturally I went towards them which was a big no-no for the large nun who proceeded to plant her size 12 in me.
Naturally there was no intervention from the mustachioed nuns, after all us children were the lowest of the lowest in their eyes – only useful for hard labour and capitation funds.
What a warped society these people created and have no doubt about it but they want the ‘old days’ to return. They want the power again. They need it to justify their existence, their pomp and their ceremony.
Time now that WE planted our size 12s up their behinds.
The only time most people see a bishop ! he is dressed up to his eyelides. and as distant as if he was 3 miles away. thay keep well away from people who expect them to show any sign of humanity . how to talk to a man waving incence at you. thats about as close as any surviver will get .
Why leave it to the Pope to sack these Bishops. As far as I am concerned it is the Irish people who pay these vultures. Let the people do the sacking
may
Thank you Mary Collins and Maeve Lewis. At last, some constructive and realistic comments on this whole issue of Abuse in Ireland.
It is shocking that people are still going to churches, or to even have ANY KIND of EXPECTATIONS from a possible “…new priests’ association…”.
When will somebody of ‘credibility and authority’ utter similar words about the Irish People themselves? Each and everyone of us, (older) parent, and responsible for the mess we are in?
Or are we so dead and oblivious to the crimes under out very nose, that we cannot even act / react, EVEN WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT? Shame on us !
While we wait for our Legislators to approve ‘proposed’ amendments to our Constitution, to stop the Violence Within The Family, and to Abolish Corporal Punishement, as we watch our society disintegrate in front of our eyes, let us reflect on the following:
Quote: “In the recent past, young people have gone into the streets to demonstrate for all kinds of good causes, against war, for protection of the environment, and above all for more humanity. But there have never been any demonstrations supporting the right of children not to be beaten by their caregivers.” (Alice Miller – 1998).
APPEAL TO ALL THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF IRELAND, who are forced to emigrate, or chose to ‘run as far as they can’:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE, PLEASE PLEASE, LIGHT UP THE FUSE !
Raymond
When Rome speaks Irish politicians kneel.
what shocks me even more is the RELIGIOUS SILENCE when the government took over 500 million euro from their contribution and left a tiny amount of 100 million when divided is worth only petty cash to pay for all the bills of the groups. under the heading (statuary funding) without any agreement once again with survivors.
supposingly to pay for education that was already supposed to be in place with the redress agreement between government religious and so called invented groups representing themselves no one else.
so there you have it 100 million plus euro left to keep the groups running wow i’ve worked it out.
WE GET FECK ALL ONCE AGAIN.
WHY DID THE RELIGIOUS ALLOW THE GOVERNMENT TO TAKE 500 PLUS MILLION PLUS EURO WITHOUT A WORD OF PROTEST?