Irish Catholic
15 September 2011
Exposure of abuse has opened ‘door to hell’.
A Wexford priest has said that Irish society does not want to hear the politically incorrect truth about child sexual abuse in Ireland which is that “there is another category of people that will match the failure of the bishops, and probably surpass it; the wives and mothers of Ireland, not exclusively wives and mothers but far too many who failed miserably to deal with the abuse of their children by other family members.”
Writing in this week’s Irish Catholic newspaper, Fr Paddy Banville of Ferns Diocese says a significant percentage of the population are implicated in the cover-up of abuse.
He writes: “In time, I believe Ireland will discover that there is nothing particularly unique in the Catholic bishop’s bungling attempts to deal with clerical abuse…In fact, I believe that covering up is a typical response to child abuse right across the board, at least until very recently.”
Extracts from Fr Paddy Banville’s article below:
“In exposing abuse within the Catholic Church, we have opened the door to hell and stepped inside the front porch, and standing there in horror some have dared to peer further, into the hallway and reception areas of a very dark and unexplored house.”
“In time, I believe Ireland will discover that there is nothing particularly unique in the Catholic bishop’s bungling attempts to deal with clerical abuse…In fact, I believe that covering up is a typical response to child abuse right across the board, at least until very recently.”
“Few can accept my next point and, of course, it’s so politically incorrect to make the point, but there is another category of people that will match the failure of the bishops, and probably surpass it; the wives and mothers of Ireland, not exclusively wives and mothers but far too many who failed miserably to deal with the abuse of their children by other family members.”
“A multitude of people are implicated in this cover-up. I believe it is a significant percentage of the population. Nobody in this once sovereign democratic republic wants to hear this.”
“Let me conclude by adapting the words of the Taoiseach: there is no shortage of dysfunction, disconnection, elitism and narcissism in the Republic of Ireland 2011, where the rape and torture of children are downplayed or managed, to uphold instead the primacy of the family, the family name, its power, standing and reputation, and where multitudes living in our midst, have turned a blind eye: not my business!”
“We don’t know it yet, or perhaps we don’t want to know it, but in terms of child abuse the Catholic Church is holding up a mirror to Irish society.”
“This time Enda Kenny has got to go all the way and all the way is much further than the Vatican!”
Another pathetic attempt to deflect by pointing a finger.
So, Father Banville’s message is that because others perhaps failed to protect children it was alright for bishops of the Roman Catholic Church to do likewise? Is that it?
Or, is it perhaps that those others (laity) learned from the example of their bishops?
Whatever it is, Banville’s message is causing an outright furor in Ireland. And, rightly so. There is no excuse for bishops willfully placing children at risk any more than there is excuse for the sacrilege and scandal of allowing known molesters to sully the ranks of the priesthood by their very presence.
Such a patriarchal viewpoint! If he’s going to blame all the wives and mother’s, where are the father’s and husbands in all this?
The simple answer to the question of where were the fathers and husbands is they were abusing the girls and women in the family aided and abeited by the male siblilngs.
It’s unfortunate that the comments were made by a priest, but that does not make them anyless true.
Mary Kinealy,
It could be viewed as an unfortunate generalization but I don’t think it is a “simple answer”…I think you have something to share and maybe this is not the place for it. Find someone you can talk to .
The priests comments could probably be verified many times over but it doesn’t excuse anything they have done and are now covering up. There is nothing a criminal or a coward savors more than taking others down with him!
If anything, the priests were leaders in our communities, in Ireland or in Canada and everywhere else. Just like parents, they only had to lead by example to make our world a better place and let the children be children…
Maybe we were lead to the wrong place … There has been so much pain in the world and the “healers” , the “caretakers” were not supposed to be abusers. Whether they were fathers of the church or Fathers and Mothers in the home, they forgot to be “providers” and “protectors”…
They were all wrong and one does not explain or excuse the other.
…but “our” priests spoke in the name of God! …and nobody dared challenge them or their actions! : “THAT ” is what made “them” so answerable for their actions.
You don’t abuse children in the name of GOD and then like a petty criminal take this offended look and say:” well, they were doing it to!…”
That’s just not in the Good Book! They accepted the Glory when it was not deserved so maybe it is time they accept the Cross they are handed to right the horrible wrong they participated in…
“ONE CHILD was ONE TOO MANY! This is the”simple answer” to remember…
JG