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Jesuits’ report shows how welfare of children was deemed secondary to order’s reputation

Pushed by determined survivors, the religious order had to admit the long suspected: that they, too, had failed the children in their care

Belvedere College, Dublin: A report published by the Jesuits on Thursday says that the first 1977 allegations against Fr Marmion, a teacher at the school, were not reported to gardaí, as that 'would have risked making the matter public and so damaging to the College’s (Belvedere) and the Jesuits’ reputation'. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill
Belvedere College, Dublin: A report published by the Jesuits on Thursday says that the first 1977 allegations against Fr Marmion, a teacher at the school, were not reported to gardaí, as that 'would have risked making the matter public and so damaging to the College’s (Belvedere) and the Jesuits’ reputation'. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill
Patsy McGarry's picture
Patsy McGarry
Thu Feb 08 2024 - 19:51

So, another respected Catholic religious order admits it put the protection of its own reputation before the welfare of children. How sadly familiar.

A report published by the Jesuits on Thursday shows how it too failed, dramatically as any other religious order, so many dioceses and archdioceses, the Vatican itself, when confronted by abuse survivors.

Pushed by determined survivors, the Jesuits too had to admit the long suspected. Now, and as with other church institutions before, they profess great shame and proffer apologies, alongside offers of help and generous redress, invitations to other probable survivors to come forward, and firm purposes of amendment.

We’ve been here before. Many times before, in this seemingly endless scandal. And, as with others, the Jesuits’ final arrival at the altar of atonement could have happened decades ago. It would have allowed survivors back then the immense psychological relief of being believed and made available necessary counselling to help put damaged lives back together again. Instead, their agony was prolonged so the Jesuits’ reputation could stay intact.

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In this the abuser plays a lesser role when it comes to culpability, whether that be the notorious abuser Fr Joseph Marmion, Fr Paul Andrews or Fr Dermot Casey, any of those other 41 Jesuits who, to date, have faced allegations of child sex abuse.

It is their superiors who bear responsibility, not alone for covering up the abuse by those priests, but also for facilitating its effects through covering it up.

The pattern is not new. The 2009 Dublin Archdiocese Commission of Investigation had “no doubt that clerical child sexual abuse was covered up by the Archdiocese of Dublin and other Church authorities over much of the period” 1975 to 2004 that was investigated.

“The welfare of children, which should have been the first priority, was not even a factor to be considered in the early stages,” it said.

Instead, that report continued: “The focus was on the avoidance of scandal and the preservation of the good name, status and assets of the institution and of what the institution regarded as its most important members – the priests.”

It is an accurate summary of what was disclosed in Fr Joseph Marmion SJ. His abuse, the harm caused and Jesuit accountability: A narrative record published by the Jesuits on Thursday.

Explaining why they did not report the first 1977 allegations against Fr Marmion to gardaí, it said “the need to safeguard the society’s reputation and the avoidance of public scandal was central and undoubtedly provides some part of the explanation”.

Reporting it “would have risked making the matter public and so damaging to the College’s (Belvedere) and the Jesuits’ reputation”.

Removal of Fr Marmion from the college “was designed to cover up what Fr Marmion did. The reputation of the school and the Society was given precedence over the law and the welfare of the boys he had abused”.

It added that “the impact on the wellbeing of the boys he had abused” and “of seeing him around the school or being taught by him was not considered”.

The Jesuits also acknowledged that in 2004, the publication of the book Muck and Merlot by Belvedere past pupil Tom Doorley was “a lost opportunity to reach out proactively” to find others who may have been abused by Fr Marmion, as well as to repudiate his crimes and the betrayal of children on the part of the society”. It said the same could be said about the publication of the Dublin Commission Report in 2009.

In Doorley’s book, he detailed Fr Marmion’s paedophilia and his emotionally and physically abusive behaviours, without naming him.

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