Tackling the culture of abuse

Madam, – I personally reject the argument being made by Fr Tony Flannery (Home News, December 31st), that the auxiliary bishops…

Madam, – I personally reject the argument being made by Fr Tony Flannery (Home News, December 31st), that the auxiliary bishops in Dublin had little power or control over the culture that was allowed to prevail in the archdiocese of Dublin. There is a moral imperative on all of us to act in a responsible way to protect the weak and vulnerable in our community and society. How can anyone justify turning a deaf ear to the defenceless children who were systematically abused by the “pillar of the church” over such a prolonged period of time?

Upon reflection, Bishop James Moriarty came to the realisation that he should have challenged the prevailing culture that was allowed to exist in Dublin when he served there as auxiliary bishop. What was fundamentally lacking in Dublin and elsewhere was credible leadership and direction.

What facilitated the child sexual abuse culture in the archdiocese of Dublin was an overriding emphasis on silence and secrecy. There was no whistleblowing mechanism in place or allowed to operate within the system. Innocent children were groomed and alienated from their peers so as to satisfy the needs of their paedophile abusers.

Given the nature of the depravity, it was imperative on all cardinals, auxiliary bishops and priests to break the silence and secrecy and seek external professional advice and help.

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What is lacking in the Irish Catholic Church is objectivity. This all- pervasive culture of clericalism stifled meaningful debate and discussion. Indeed, senior church figures deluded themselves by insisting on loyalty and conformity. Any individual who dared to recognise “the elephant in the room” was automatically demonised and ostracised. Those who tried in vain to speak out were either silenced or alienated from the institution.

It seems disingenuous of Fr Tony Flannery to publicly criticise Archbishop Diarmuid Martin for insisting on collective accountability and the subsequent collective responsibility that must follow from this. This is a given fact of Christian morality that we must all take individual responsibility for the reasonably foreseeable consequences of our actions. It is a moral principle that Archbishop Martin strives to adhere to, but which others have chosen to disregard or ignore at their peril.

The fact that auxiliary bishops failed to challenge the prevailing culture of abuse means they fundamentally contributed to the problem and failed to facilitate early resolution. Indeed, the concept of “mental reservation” comes to mind. The fact remains that what prevailed was a deliberate culture of lies, deceit, obstruction and evasion.

There obviously needs to be a root and branch investigation into the nature and scale of child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy throughout the country. The costs with respect to such an undertaking should be funded from church resources, unless it is established that State institutions were also complicit in allowing innocent children to be sexually abused by clergy.

Fundamentally for me as an ex-priest and clerical student of the system, abuse is not just confined to child sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests. Abuse was endemic within all levels of the organisation.

It prevailed in the seminary structure where there was a profound imbalance of power and control. What is most disappointing for me from a personal perspective is the lack of insight from the Irish hierarchy which collectively adopted a strategy of “business as usual” by continuing to promote vocation. The church’s organisation management structure is fundamentally flawed, not just in Dublin but in other dioceses as well. Consequently, truth, validation, redresses and closure are denied to the victims.

Given my own personal experience of psychological and emotional abuse as a clerical student from September 1985 to June 1992, at St Patrick’s College, Thurles, when Fr William Lee (now Bishop of Waterford Lismore) was seminary president, I would now ask Archbishop Dermot Clifford, Cashel Emly, and Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza, Apostolic Nuncio, to facilitate an independent public sworn inquiry into this matter. – Yours, etc,

MATTHEW RING,

Ex-priest of the Diocese of Cloyne,

Luccombe Road,

Shirley,

Southampton, Hampshire,

England.