A PATIENT who was sexually assaulted by the chaplain in a leading children's hospital tells of the reception she got when she went to the Church for help.
The following is the text of a letter received by The Irish Times from a woman who, as a child in hospital, was sexually assaulted by a priest. As an adult she went to the Catholic Church for help. This is her story, in her words:
On Tuesday the 24th June Father Paul McGennis was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for sexually abusing a child while chaplain to Our Lady's Hospital, Crumlin, in 1960. You carried a report in your edition of 25th.
I was the child abused by Father Paul McGennis.
I am writing to ask you to mention an aspect of the case which I feel is very important for the welfare of future victims of abuse. It was covered by the judge in his summing-up but has been overlooked by the media.
Much was made in court of the length of time which had passed between the abuse and my reporting of it. This delay would have been 10 years shorter if the church had responded properly to my first disclosure of the abuse.
I had suppressed memories of the abuse for many years after it happened. During those years I suffered from depression, agoraphobia, panic attacks and had many other difficulties in my life. In August 1985 while receiving psychiatric help for my psychological and emotional problems I recalled the abuse. I told the psychiatrist and after some counselling he advised me to tell a church representative what had happened.
I found it incredibly difficult to do as he advised. Talking to a priest of all people when it was a priest who had abused me filled me with anxiety. However, I convinced myself I had to do it if it could prevent another child suffering as I had done.
In November 1985, I arranged a meeting with a curate working in the Dublin diocese. We met in his presbytery. He greeted me kindly and asked what I wanted to talk to him about.
With very great difficulty I managed to tell him I had been sexually abused as a child by a priest. I told him the abuse had happened in Crumlin hospital in 1960 and the abuser was the (then) hospital's Catholic chaplain.
I was totally unprepared for my curates's reaction. It shocked me to the core. Firstly, he told me very firmly he did not want me to give him any details of the abuse. Then again he told me very firmly not to give him the abuser's name.
He said if I told him the priest's name he "would have to do something about it" and he did not feel this was necessary.
His reasoning for this was that he felt I had probably caused the abuse. His only concession after my protestations was that if I had not caused it then this priest had probably left the priesthood years ago. Either way, HE did not need to take any action.
Finally he reassured me that if I had tempted this chaplain then it was unintentional on my part. I could go away now and put it behind me. "I was forgiven."
I was so shocked by this rejection that I was once more filled with all the original emotions which the abuse had caused - the primary one being GUILT - the conviction that the abuse was my fault. It is impossible to describe the devastating effect this response had on me emotionally.
I spoke to no one of the abuse for a further 10 years.
In 1995 the publicity regarding "paedophile priests" reawakened my memories. My concern that other children could still be at risk from my abuser overcame my fear of rejection. I reported the abuse to the Archbishop, Dr Connell, and to Our Lady's Hospital Crumlin.
At the same time I wrote (by registered post) to the curate (now in a different parish). I told him Idetails of my first disclosure to him in 1985. I told him I had been hurt by his response at that time and I hoped now to have peace.
He never bothered to reply.
Later, when I told the Chancellor of the Diocese in Archbishop's house of my first attempt to report the abuse to the church, he said that this priest's response was "understandable".
As far as I am aware this curate has not been reprimanded for his lack of action in 1985.
I would appeal to the church to train all their priests thoroughly in the proper response to a victim coming to them with a disclosure of this sort. To make sure that no priest harbours any misconceptions about child abuse which would inhibit them from giving the right response. Older priests, particularly, need to be retrained as in many cases their attitudes are so out of date.
I cannot emphasise too much how a victim can be made to suffer by the wrong response to a disclosure of abuse. The harm done by the type of inappropriate reaction I received is boundless.
The church will probably say it could not happen today - but can they be sure? Please do not publish my name or address.