KAREN DUGGAN,
Madam, - I was born and raised in Catholicism, and have listened attentively to years of opinion and advice from its agents. Consequently I feel as entitled as anyone else to express my reaction to the disclosure of the extent of the practice of paedophilia within the Church. However, I should make it clear that I always had enormous difficulty in squaring the concept of unquestioned patriarchal rule with a very simple, all-powerful force of goodness: God. As a young child I was for various reasons in close contact with Catholic priests and nuns, most of them good and sincere people.
Christianity is such a simple story of God, a force for goodness and truth, manifesting itself as a man living his life actively - and being prepared to sacrifice it - in the pursuit of goodness. Even as a child, it always struck me that this simplicity seemed so incompatible with the phalanx of rules, regulations and incontestable practices that the Catholic Church drew into the equation - especially if you asked a hard question, for instance: Why can't a girl be a priest? I am happy to be so simplistic and also to accept I can't now be or moulded as a Catholic, as currently defined by its law-makers. Despite that, I respect anyone who finds spiritual fulfilment through the route of Catholicism and indeed defend their right to do so.
However, it seems obvious to me that where there is an organised culture of humans holding extraordinary and unchallengeable power over other humans, it is only a matter of time before it becomes corrupt and provides fruitful ground for evil to flourish. It also seems clear that it is never possible to live a life of pursuit of goodness in a passive way. It is up to all of us to constantly take personal responsibility for our own actions, but also to take responsibility to react quickly, bravely if necessary, to question and fight the deceit, hypocrisy and propaganda that is the stock-in-trade of any tyranny.
In the understandable tumult that has broken out over the ugly truths we now must face, it is apparent that many "ordinary" Catholics, from rank-and-file members to the nobility of the Church, were at best naïve, at worst lazy in their application of the challenges of Christianity in their lives.
They were content to sit back and let other people do their thinking for them, so they all must share some responsibility for the evil that has gone on, and is probably still going on under cover of their Church. And it will never again be enough for any institution that holds such power as the Catholic church to tell non-members to mind their own business, because the fall-out of such moral dereliction has affected Catholics and non-Catholics, world-wide.
For the present, regardless of religion, we should all stand in awe of and gratitude to the brave few throughout the world who have fought against the odds to unveil this horrible evil, at great personal cost. But more importantly we should all take responsibility to emulate those people's independence of mind and bravery on a consistent basis.
Finally, no expert can tell me that sexual activity between an adult and a child is anything other than a form of evil sexual incontinence: an uncurbed abuse of power taken to an extreme. I know it is wrong, for instance, to kick an old lady over and and take her purse, if I'm short of money. I will never to this regardless of any opportunity that presents itself, and society rightly would not tolerate such an action.
Equally, society - which means all of us - over and again, in every possible way should let anyone contemplating paedophilic acts know that this is wrong and unacceptable and we expect them to exercise control and instantly quell any sexual urge towards a child.
It is maddening to hear paedophilia described as an orientation like heterosexuality or homosexuality: this lends a level of acceptance to it that should never, ever be tolerated. - Yours, etc.,
KAREN DUGGAN, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.