Thursday, November 26, 2009

Systematic corruption by the Catholic Church and state authorities denied child sex victims justice, sorry isn't enough











Dear All

One of themes I highlight continually is that Britain is a systematically corrupt country.

Now, it seems that just across the water in Ireland things aren’t much better.

A report into clerical child abuse in the Dublin archdiocese has criticised the Catholic Church for covering up the abuse.

In others words systematic corruption in order to protect the institution rather than deal with serial sex offenders.

The report investigated how the Catholic Church and state authorities handled allegations of child abuse against 46 priests.

These interweaving social networks ensured that the public were kept in the dark and the victims denied justice.

The Church caring little for the victims placed its own reputation above the protection of children in its care.

This may seem like a shocking revelation but it is how what is called the “establishment” works, not for the benefit of its citizens but a powerful minority of the elite who operate mostly unseen in the corridors of power.

The report also highlighted that state authorities actively facilitated the cover-up by allowing the Church to operate outside the law.

The Catholic Church isn’t the only network that the state allows to operate in this way but occasionally the public get to see small parts of the bigger picture.

Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin said;

"no words of apology would ever be sufficient" and offered "to each and every survivor my apology, sorrow and shame".

Is the Archbishop’s public sorrow and shame enough?

So why did the state authorities help to cover up?

Quite simple, the authorities need the Catholic Church to be seen as a voice of reason, designated unelected speakers of the masses.

Another version of this type of control is seen in this country under the guise of Liberty run by Shami Chakrabarti et al. A middle class elite that is granted the privilege of talking up against the “establishment” on your behalf, also unelected.

Liberty stands up for things like free speech unless they don’t agree with what is being said and by whom, and then they remain silent.

What is most damning about the report in sexual abuse in the Catholic Church is how the Church systematically shuffled criminals from parish to parish where they could prey on new, unsuspecting victims.

It was more important it seems to maintain secrecy that it was to protect innocent victims.

As to the people in the Dublin archdiocese who were investigating the complaints of child sexual abuse, they were all very well educated people, qualified in Canon Law and civil law. These people have put forward claims of ignorance were the report states are "very difficult to accept".

Civic authorities in Ireland, especially the police, were also criticised for their cosy relationship with the Church.

The Irish Minister for Justice, Dermot Ahern has vowed to bring those who had carried out the abuse to justice, regardless of the amount of time which had passed.

And what about those in state authorities who assisted in the cover up?

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

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