Madam, - Mary Raftery's column of March 3rd is the latest example of her use of selective quotations and innuendo to portray the Sisters of Charity in the worst possible light.
She cobbles together a selection of statements that imply that we not only knew of the sexual abuse of children in St Joseph's, Kilkenny, but knowingly allowed it to continue and took no action to stop it. For the record, it is a matter of fact that we first learned about the abuse of the children by David Murray as a result of investigations undertaken by An Garda Síochána in the mid-1990s.
Furthermore, it is entirely untrue, unjust and unfair of Ms Raftery to imply that in the 1970s we knowingly employed individuals who were paedophiles. The two men who were convicted of sexual abuse of our children were both qualified child care workers. We put our trust in their ability to act as father figures to the teenage boys in St Joseph's. Instead, they subjected some of the children in their care to a reign of vile abuse, thus betraying our trust in a most heinous and despicable way.
Ms Raftery's article states that a number of prominent individuals, including Dr Peter Birch and Sr Stanislaus Kennedy, were made aware of allegations of sexual abuse. Since her article is based on the award made to Raymond Noctor in the High Court, the reader would reasonably conclude that these individuals knew about that sexual abuse. They did not.
Sr Stanislaus refuted this allegation in her response to Ms Raftery on a previous occasion (The Irish Times, May 19th, 1999 and December 22nd, 1999). Ms Raftery has chosen to ignore that response. In his judgment of Raymond's case, delivered on March 2nd, 2005, Mr Justice Finnegan had this to say about Bishop Birch: "I am not satisfied that he [ Dr Birch] would have ignored a complaint of sexual abuse brought to his attention."
In the same judgment Mr Justice Finnegan provides an assessment of the evidence as to facts in relation to Sr Conception, whom Raymond said he had told of the abuse.
The following are typical of relevant comments in this regard: "I have no difficulty in accepting the evidence of Sr Conception that had she been made aware that the complaint against Mr Murray was of sexual abuse, she would have acted on the complaint. . ." And: "I am not satisfied on the balance of probability that the complaint was made in sufficiently explicit terms to enable her to understand that the complaint was one of sexual abuse. . "
Again, Ms Raftery has chosen to ignore these findings of the President of the High Court.
The story of Raymond Noctor and of the other boys who suffered at the hands of David Murray is horrendous. Nothing can compare to it. I suggest, however, that among those who have suffered in hearing this story unfold are the sisters and staff who gave of their best at a difficult time in the history of child care in this country and believed that Mr Murray and Mr Brady were doing the same.
The feelings of these sisters and staff members are akin to what parents must feel when they discover that a trusted friend, relative or child minder has used and abused their child. This comparison is not wishful thinking. It is fact.
The social reforms and innovations initiated by the Sisters of Charity, their colleagues and co-workers did not, as Ms Raftery alleges, pass St Joseph's by. Among other things, for instance, it was one of the first schools to adopt the "family group" system of care. In addition, a number of generous and committed people from Kilkenny offered their time and talents to St Joseph's in a voluntary capacity.
Many of the past residents still regard St Joseph's with fondness and affection and remain in touch with the sisters and the staff. That is particularly true of Sr Conception. To imply that all of the children were subjected to the same abuse, neglect and pain is to do an injustice to the likes of Raymond Noctor and other children who did actually suffer abuse.
Mary Raftery's column is offensive and unjust to the Sisters of Charity and their co-workers and to Sr Conception and Sr Stanislaus Kennedy in particular. Both of these women have devoted their lives to the good of others and continue to do so.
They deserve better from the paper of record. - Yours, etc.,
Sr ÚNA O'NEILL, Superior General, The Sisters of Charity, Gilford Road, Sandymount, Dublin 4.
Mary Raftery writes: I neither stated nor implied that the Sisters of Charity knowingly employed paedophiles as childcare workers in St Joseph's, Kilkenny. I neither stated nor implied that Bishop Birch was aware that boys at St Joseph's were being sexually abused.
There now exists, however, clear evidence that he was aware from the mid-1970s of of physical abuse. It is clear from testimony in a civil case in 2003 that the nuns were aware from 1977 of both physical and sexual abuse at St Joseph's.