[Marxism] Judicial report into child abuse in institutions run by the Roman Catholic Church rocks Ireland

[Einde O'Callaghan <eindeoc@xxxxxxxxxx>]

This week a judicial report was issued in Ireland into physical, sexual, 
and emotional abuse of children who had been placed in care by the state 
authorities. All of the care was provided by religious orders on behalf 
of the state.

The report details how physical abuse in the form of excessive corporal 
punishment was endemic in all the institutions examined.

Furthermore, the religious authorities ignored or covered up reports of 
sexual abuse by members of staff - in some cases the children who 
complained or their parents were put under pressure to withdraw the 
allegations. On occasions abusers were simply moved to another 
institution where they continued to abuse children. In other cases the 
abusers were able to continue their abuse over many years apparently 
without detection - or at least without a report being filed.

Emotional neglect and abuse of the children was endemic. In addition the 
education provided by the institutions was seriously defective. 70% of 
the witnesses heard by the judicial enquiry reported that they had 
received no education beyond primary school!

The report runs to five volumes. A 30-page summary is available at 
<http://www.irishtimes.com/focus/2009/childabusecommission/index.pdf>. 
The summary makes for harrowing reading - I'm still seething with anger 
after quickly scanning through it. Apparently the full report is full of 
shocking details of abuse and neglect. One passage from the conclusions 
of the report struck me as particularly shocking:

"7. Many witnesses who complained of abuse nevertheless expressed some 
positive memories: small gestures of kindness were vividly recalled. A 
word of consideration or encouragement, or an act of sympathy or 
understanding had a profound effect. Adults in their sixties and 
seventies recalled seemingly insignificant events that had remained with 
them all their lives. *Often the act of kindness recalled in such a 
positive light arose from the simple fact that the staff member had not 
given a beating when one was expected.*"

This last sentence is just mind-bogling - the kindest act they remember 
was the fact that they weren't beaten.

The collusion of the state authorities in the cover-up and its 
repercussions continues. In 2002 the then Minister of Education, Dr. 
Michael Wood, made a deal with the religious orders capping their 
contribution to compensation claims at €127 million one day before he 
resigned. He did this apparently without any authority from the cabinet 
against the advice of the Ministry of Finance, which thought a 50/50 
deal was more fitting in the circumstances, and without taking legal 
advice from the government's lawyers in the Attorney General's Office. 
the current estimated cost of the compensation scheme is €1.3 billion, 
more than 10 times as much.

The overwhelming authority of the Church in Ireland led many people to 
turn a blind eye to the abuses committed by its personnel. Fortunately, 
this has changed as this column fom the Irish Times reveals: 
<http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2009/0523/1224247209564.html> 
although probably 90% of the population of the Southern state would 
probably still describe themselves as Roman Catholics.

Einde O'Callagha

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