Sir, - The recent RTE series gave voice to people who, as vulnerable and defenceless children, were victims of savage violence and total depravity at the hands of adults, many of whom were clergy and religious.
This catalogue of unspeakable wickedness perpetrated under the guise of religion underlines, yet again, the most serious challenge currently facing the Irish Catholic Church. Namely, how to courageously address, in order to effectively heal, the pain, sorrow, disillusionment and indifference felt by many people of all ages, who are really angry on account of the various manifestations of abusiveness by Church persons.
The abuse of children is a crime by no means peculiar to clergy and religious. In every walk of life, there are adults who take pleasure in having children, even their own sons and daughters, at the mercy of their whims. We also need to keep in mind that sexual assault, while it is particularly horrific, is not the only form of abuse.
There are countless people throughout Ireland who are victims of the physical, verbal, psychological, emotional and spiritual abuse perpetrated in primary and secondary schools, diocesan colleges, homes, seminaries, religious houses and other institutions. These too were traumatised and diminished by their experiences. This kind of abusive behaviour went unchallenged until fairly recently. Whether expressed through brute force or dark sarcasm, it was always devastating for those on the receiving end.
This is a time of opportunity for the Church to take the lead in providing some kind of forum for the examination of the very complex issues surrounding the abuse of children. The whole of society would benefit from such an initiative and it would begin to make reparation for past sins against children perpetrated by Church personnel. This forum, of course, would have to do much more than study the problem.
It is vitally important that we reach out to those children of God who have been so damaged and deeply wounded by their experiences of all the forms of abuse. As a Christian community, we need to articulate before God and the victims of this evil, our sincere sorrow and repentance. We need to genuinely seek ways in which pain can be alleviated and eventually healed. Those people, clergy, religious and laity, who are guilty of abuse also need care and ministry. They too are human beings with their own histories of pain and brokenness. We must not, in any way, collaborate with wider society's hypocritical witch-hunting and unhelpful demonisation of the abuser. It must be remembered that many clergy and religious themselves suffered terribly in systems of "formation" and living under regimes which, in effect, induced self-hatred, caused neurosis and compounded dysfunctionality.
We must be prepared to hear righteous anger and accept just criticism in all humility and without making any excuses. The behaviour of certain priests and other religious personnel in the past was an appalling negation of the Gospel of Christ. God's call resonates for the Irish Church of today: "Priests, put on sackcloth and lament. Ministers of the altar, wail. Come, pass the night in sackcloth, you ministers of my God" (Joel 1:13).
Stunning arrogance and the sacrilegious misuse of authority by clergy and religious allowed the various forms of abuse to thrive in Church life. These crimes have compromised our ministry and damaged our credibility as witnesses to Jesus Christ and heralds of His saving message. The abuse of power by Church persons was profoundly blasphemous because, for many people, it actually distorted the true nature of God as unconditionally loving and infinitely kind.
Now, therefore, is the time for true conversion of heart and for humbly seeking God's Will. The entire Church must stop running scared and begin serious engagement with this distressing situation in a manner that is honest, intelligent and realistic. - Yours, etc., Fr Patrick McCafferty,
Belfast, BT14 7DP.