I must get to preparations for Easter dinner . Much to do on that front 🙂
A quick reference with comment to three articles which have been added to Sylvia’s Site today. (I now list them under the “New” tab at the top of the site.)
(1) 01 April 2010: How a molesting case emerged decades later
I am struck here by the fact that, after the victim whose coming forward blew the lid off the clerical sex abuse cover-up in Europe, the prosecutor investigated him, the victim, apparently looking for evidence of extortion.
Shades of Cornwall!
Those who followed the inquiry will recall that an extortion investigation was launched against David Silmser. No evidence found. But, it was launched.
And, slightly different but along the same lines, the Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall (read then Bishop Eugene Larocque) actually hired detectives to investigate David Silmser, John MacDonald and Ron Leroux! I don’t know that that is on public record, but, believe me, it is fact.
I read through the article above and got the unsettling sense that the same basic modus operandi has been at work everywhere.
(2) 03 April 2010: Abuse hotline set up by Catholic Church in Germany melts down on first day (RC Church/Europe)
Imagine! 4,000 victims! How many of those are victims of sex abuse I don’t know, but there must be a fair few.
To put those numbers into perspective, the population in Germany is around 82,000,000. Of those, approximately 30.7% are Roman Catholic. According to various websites the RC population is approximately 25 million, about double that of Canada.
Now, imagine for a moment 2,000 victims coming forward simultaneously in Canada.
That is massive.
The run-away train is hurtling down the tracks.
(3) 8-9 June 1985: The Problem Of Sexual Molestation By Roman Catholic Clergy : Meeting The Problem In A Comprehensive And Responsible Manner.
I received an email today drawing my attention to the above, “The Manual.”
It was a most timely jog of my memory indeed. I had posted The Manual on theinquiry.ca years ago, and had forgotten about it.
“The Problem of sexual Molestation…” is better known as either The Manual, or the Doyle -Mouton-Peterson Report.)
The Manual was a collaborative work by Mr. F. Ray Mouton, J.D, Father Thomas P. Doyle, O.P. J.C.D, and Father Michael Peterson.
By way of a little background here, Randy Engels has a goodly number of pages dedicated to Peterson in her groundbreaking blockbuster The Rite of Sodomy: Homosexuality and the Roman Catholic Church. A disturbing read. Those who have a copy check your index and read. And, yes, weep. I may yet scan and post several pages. I shall meditate on that over the remainder of the Easter holiday 🙂
For now, suffice to know that Peterson was founding President and CEO of St. Luke’s Institute, a facility which, amongst other things, provides “treatment” for priests and religious with same-sex attraction to young boys.
Peterson, a Roman Catholic priest, was defiantly living an active homosexual lifestyle.
Peterson was also addicted to amphetamines.
According to Engel: “Peterson helped to frame the clerical sex abuse issues in terms of disease rather than a prosecutable crime'” and “”the issue of the clerical sexual abuse of minors in terms of ‘clinical pedophilia’ rather than homosexual ‘pederasty.'”
Peterson died of AIDS two years after the release of the Manual. He was 44.
Bear the above in mind as you read and ponder the purpose of the Manual.
As you will see by the link embedded within the report, a copy of the confidential report was distributed to every single American bishop attending the June 1985 semi-annual meeting of the bishops in St. John’s Abbey.
Every single bishop got one copy, and those who wanted more than one got more!
Take time to read the report. Please take time to read it. It is lengthy, but in light of the burgeoning sex abuse scandal in the Church – accompanied by the host of denials, and we didn’t knows, and let’s do some studies – it is a bombshell.
They darn well did know.
I had started drawing quoted to give an overview but gave up when I realized that I was about to copy the whole report 🙂
One will suffice:
The effects of sexual abuse of children by adults are long lasting and go well into adulthood. This is well documented though it may well be difficult to predict the extent of the effects in particular cases. We are speaking not only of psychological effects but also the spiritual effects since the perpetrators of the abuse are priests or clerics. This will no doubt have a profound effect on the faith life of the victims, their families and others in the community.
They didn’t know?!
Anyway, the American bishops knew. That is a given. And, rest assured copies of the report found their way into the hands of the Canadian bishops and canon lawyers of the day. There were cross-border episcopal friendships, and canon law conferences. I have no doubt that the report found it’s way into Canada, but …..alas, at this moment in time I could never prove it 🙁
Enough. I must get to work in the kitchen 🙂
So, that’s enough for now,
Sylvia