In one of the most shaming eras of abuse and scandal, the Catholic Church in Ireland recently met to discuss the issue of Child Sex Abuse. Famously, Roman Catholic priests are required to remain celibate and unmarried, in order to focus their love and emphasise their devotion to God. The theology behind this, is grounded in the texts of the New Testament, following the examples of Peter and other Apostles. Is it not time to perhaps realise how religion, again, plays such an important role in the lives of many. Having done plentiful research on the matter; I have no hesitation to say that the way in which the crimes were perpetrated where a direct abuse of power, instilled on those because they were religious priests. The respect endowed upon these men is of paramount importance when considering why these cases were able to occur. They were religious- and so, especially in an era before general-population enlightenment, were respected irrespective of whether or not that respect had been earned. Their access to children, again was due to their pastoral role involving children. The Catholic church has always placed an emphasis on children, in terms of first communion and baptism; guiding and moulding them into the adults they would become. A famous phrase floated around Ireland, the Catholic church, Jesuit motto “Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man,” which is based on a quotation by Francis Xavier. Children were given into the church during their most formative years, to be nourished and to develop.
Reading a list of the cases on the Internet, (this source in Wikipedia, is a concise one… here and a list here.) is a macabre experience. We should really be questioning, whether allowing our children into the hands of an institution which has such a horrific history of abuse. The worst thing is, it’s still going on.
Given the case against religious faith in terms of credibility and truth; we should probably seriously consider whether we allow our children near church at all; for all the good it does.
Ireland’s Catholic bishops have met in County Kildare to discuss the issue of child sex abuse.
It is understood more details about the internal audit which will be carried out in each diocese in Ireland were discussed.
The discussions followed the Irish Government’s decision to set up an inquiry into child sex abuse by priests and members of religious orders.
The bishops of all the 26 dioceses – in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland – attended the meet at St Patrick’s College in Maynooth.
Dr Patrick Walsh: “Share the shame”
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Last week, the Bishop of Down and Connor, Dr Patrick Walsh, said he shared the “confusion and shame” felt by so many over the clerical sex abuse scandal.
The Catholic Church’s investigation into allegations of child sex abuse will go back more than 60 years.
The independent audit will be carried out by lay people who are experts in child protection and legislation.
Dr Walsh said a “vital part” of the healing process was to establish the truth about how complaints were dealt with by the church.
The bishop said the protection of children was of paramount importance.
Cardinal Desmond Connell: Deeply aware of the damage
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Archbishop of Dublin, Cardinal Desmond Connell, has spoken of the “evil of child sex abuse by priests”.
The cardinal said he was deeply aware of the damage it was causing the Catholic Church, and said the church would take whatever further action was necessary.
Earlier this month, an emergency meeting was held at Maynooth when the church revealed it was establishing its own inquiry into how it dealt with such complaints.
String of scandals
The latest controversy followed allegations that Father Sean Fortune – a Catholic priest who committed suicide three years ago – sexually abused children.
The Pope has accepted the resignation of Dr Brendan Comiskey, the Bishop of Ferns in County Wexford, following criticism of how he handled the case of Father Fortune.
Bishop Brendan Comiskey admitted he had not protected children
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Dr Comiskey admitted he had not done enough to protect children in his County Wexford diocese.
The Ferns case has triggered fresh claims of clerical sex abuse incidents and a flood of anger in overwhelmingly Catholic Ireland, where the church’s image has been severely damaged by a string of scandals in the last decade.
Pressure on the Catholic Church has also increased elsewhere in recent months, with a number of abuse allegations in the United States culminating in legal action against some of the most senior figures in the church’s hierarchy.
