Madam, - The resignation of Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston is a terrible indictment of how the Catholic Church has handled the sex scandals that has permeated it throughout the world for decades.
Madam, - The resignation of Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston is a terrible indictment of how the Catholic Church has handled the sex scandals that has permeated it throughout the world for decades.
Senior church clerics claim that they were not aware of the dreadful things going on before their very eyes. While one would like to believe this, the evidence would suggest the contrary. In their efforts to perpetuate the cover-up they recycled these evil perpetrators of child abuse in secrecy.
And secrecy is at the heart of this cauldron of wickedness because those guilty of the abuse well knew their sin would never be exposed publicly. No, when found out they were quietly moved to another location to carry on as before. It was to avoid giving scandal we were told, and we were naïve enough to believe it.
It is the arrogance of those in authority that I find astonishing. Those who complained were fobbed off with suggestions that the abuse did not take place and little or nothing was done to check the veracity of the claim. The offender would then turn up in another parish.
Isn't it strange that those who lectured us on sexuality morality were not up to speed on the rampant immorality in their own back yard? Or so they would like us to believe.
The drop in church-going in recent years has been quite striking. And, sad to say, going to confession has almost stopped. After all, who would risk making a confession about a sexual misdemeanour to a possible pervert who would likely take gratification from it?
The saddest part of this scandal that is tearing the Church apart is the dedication of the vast majority of priests who are true to their vocation. They are feeling the pain and we, the laity, should be there to re-assure them of our support.. We will no longer accept the recycling of paedophile priests like a carnival merry-go-round. It was certainly no merry-go-round for the unfortunate children. - Yours, etc.,
BRENDAN M. REDMOND,
Hazelbrook Road,
Dublin 6W.
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Madam, - I refer to the article in your issue of December 9th in which Catherine McCann believes that innocent clergy are being tarred by negative publicity in the media.
Is she suggesting that the facts of child sexual abuse at the hands of some clergy within the Church world-wide and over many years should not be published?
Naturally and regrettably, innocent clergy have been tarred in the process. But, by whom? Not just by the scandals themselves, I believe, but more so by the methods of the Hierarchy in handling the crisis. Attempted cover-ups, half-truths and, indeed silence on occasions, have all shocked the faithful and have severely damaged their own credibility everywhere.
However, there is some hope from Boston, where a large body of priests and people have asserted themselves in an attempt to stop the rot. The sequel to this should be of great interest to all members of the Catholic Church.
Finally, a question to the Hierarchy: are lying and dishonesty regarded officially as venial sins? - Yours, etc.,
W.G. GLENN,
Rathmines,
Dublin 6.
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Madam, - William Shakespeare could well have been writing about Cardinal Bernard Law when he wrote: "The evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft' interred with their bones".
Let us pray for the victims, for the laity, for the priests and bishops, and for Cardinal Law. - Yours, etc.,
JOHN O'GORMAN,
Dorchester,
Massachusetts,
USA.