Another bit of postmodernist irony from the Vatican
You have to admire the Vatican for sheer effrontery. Which archbishops did it choose to send on an ‘apostolic visit’ to Ireland to look into the way Catholic priests and nuns have been tormenting Irish children for generations? Why, Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, who decided
in 1985, when he was bishop of Arundel and Brighton, to move the priest Fr Michael Hill to a chaplaincy at Gatwick airport. Eighteen months previously the cardinal had removed Hill from ministry because of child abuse allegations but then allowed him back to work at the airport where Hill abused a child. Hill was jailed in 2002.
And Seán O’Malley:
in his diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, the district attorney in 2002 was so disturbed at Cardinal O’Malley’s failure to inform the public of sexual offenders that he himself went public with a list of names of accused priests.
And Timothy Dolan, who
let a priest sue his accuser in St Louis and fought against reforming Wisconsin child sex abuse laws.
Dolan is also the fella who wrote that nauseating self-pitying “they do it too!” blog post last March, the one that showed with such piercing clarity that church officials are incapable of even perceiving the wrong they have done to other people, much less giving a shit about it.
And these three mafiosi are the enforcers the Vatican has picked to go to Ireland and look into the matter. It simply boggles the mind.
Oh, nothing new, then. It’s business as usual, folks. Sarcasm aside (I could get used it, though!) if you were ever to hear Cormac Murphy-O’Connor speak, he is so cock-sure (forgive the pun) of himself. He and his cronies are completely blinded by their own self-importance.
They seem to be eminent experts in the field.
This is nearly a month old but I just saw it and it’s a good illustration for this entry:
http://www.marriedtothesea.com/050410/joined-in-marriage.gif
What? No cardinal Law?
…[T]he strong line-up of the planned visitation may be marred by Irish diaspora roots and the lack of any lay person, writes Patsy McGarry, Religious Affairs Correspondent of the Irish Times.
I absolutely agree with him on this one.
The education department oversees the Redress Board, yet, the same government dept was knee deep in gross neglect of children in industrial schools. It was found seriously wanting at the commission to inquire into institutional child abuse. Not only that – it also stalled in handing over documents to Justice Mary Laffoy, so much so that she became so frustrated and subsequently handed in her resignation. The religious, too, tried and tested the patience of her successor, Sean Ryan.
I wonder will there be similar pussyingfooting with the ‘heavy hitters’ who are being sent over to Ireland?
I would hazard a guess that this is just some kind of PR stunt. It must be seen to be doing something positive (cough) prior to the pope’s impending kissing of British ground.
Don’t forget to provide the link, Mo!
Perhaps when the ‘heavy hitters’ are finished with their pussyfooting assignment – they will report to Cardinal Law in Rome. After-all they are all a law unto themselves.
Ophelia Benson
June 2, 2010 at 4:29 pmI just blogged on this. The Vatican’s handling of this makes my blood boil.
“handling of child sexual abuse allegations against clergy.”
I am curious to know why the Vatican is sending their own men to investigate above allegations. Are these hard hitters specifically trained to deal with matters of such a serious nature? Will the reports end up hidden in the Holy Sees secret vaults. The Vatican is determined to keep it an inside job. Just the same way it did when it called Irish Bishops to Rome.
Dr. Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin, apparently by all accounts (from survivors’ of abuse) was a different man when he returned to Ireland after that visitation to Rome. He must have been told off by the pope for sticking his neck out too much.
He recently spoke his mind about abuse at a conference gathering of conservative Catholics’ and other bishops – rather chided him in the aftermath. The Church, like most members of a family will close ranks when they feel threatened by outsiders who have a bone to pick. They will mostly protect their own to the last, irrespective of the wrongdoing of the members of the Church/family.
Thank you Bruce for acknowledging this post of OB’s – it is very much appreciated by survivors of sexual/institutional abuse of clergy.
I note that there is not a mention of the hard hitters coming to investigate industrial school survivors of sexual abuse of clergy. Is going down this road too murky? Also, what about systematic abuse of children of all kinds who were incarcerated for most of their childhoods. Perhaps dealing with sexual abuse of children who lived with their parents are a safer target to deal with as they are mostly not as angry as those who were institutionalised. The State/Religious are renowned for cheery-picking.