The new report on abuse in religious-run schools is demoralising, and yet so much good work is being done writes Michael Kelly
The ‘scoping inquiry’ investigating historical allegations of abuse in religious-run schools again shines a light on a dark part of Irish history. It lifts the lid on a culture where predators abused with impunity, and children felt unable to tell either their parents or anyone in authority in the schools who could’ve acted to stop the abuse.
The pain endured by victims of abuse, and the sense of scandal that it has given rise to cannot be minimised or easily explained away. It will cast a long shadow over the Church in Ireland for generations and will forever now be a part of Irish ecclesiastical history.
We all rightly share the sense of horror and outrage that so much suffering went on, and so few people have been held to account. It’s a sad fact of the criminal justice system that most people who do harm to children evade worldly justice. At the same time, experts say that the number of people who come forward to report childhood abuse is a minority of those who have suffered.
Again Catholics – not least the overwhelming majority of priests and religious whose ministry was nothing short of heroic – are dismayed. It has been a punishing 25 years for Catholics as they have seen the rug pulled out from under them. Scandalous revelations have shaken us all, and yet we go on loving the Church despite it all because it is the place where we see grace in action and touch the face of Christ in Word and Sacrament.
And yet, if there is some solace in times like this it is the fact that the team working on the scoping inquiry relied largely on the religious orders for compiling the report and tabulating the statistics.
Despite the awfulness, it is also reassuring to know that all the allegations were shared with both the gardaí and the Child and Family Agency, often years ago.
One of the frustrations is the superficial nature of much of the reporting. You could be forgiven this week for assuming that all these allegations are new and that the religious orders have learnt nothing over the past 25 years.
Thankfully, nothing could be farther from the truth. Gains in safeguarding in the Church have been hard won, and only come about after so many brave people came forward to speak of their experiences, but they are real.
The Church in Ireland now has world-class child safeguarding policies and procedures in place – any fair commentator will acknowledge this. Social workers will privately confess that they wish other organisations in Ireland would learn the hard lessons that the Catholic Church has learnt and embrace similar stringent policies.
Every allegation, even against someone who is now deceased, is immediately shared with the gardaí and Tusla. In the case of Northern Ireland, the PSNI and social services are contacted as soon as a concern is expressed, or an allegation is made.
The entire safeguarding culture in the Church is supervised by the independent National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland (NBSCCCI) which carries out regular audits on how dioceses and religious orders are responding to allegations of abuse.
More than this, they assess the steps that are being taken to make it easier for people to come forward to make allegations and the sort of support that complainants receive.
Counselling, therapy and financial redress are a core part of the Church’s response. Towards Healing is a professional service offering support and counselling to those who have suffered abuse by priests or religious or in an institutional setting.
At the same time, the organisation Towards Peace has emerged from the felt need of victims and survivors for spiritual support. It’s a cruel fact of abuse in a Church setting that often those abused were people closest to the Church, and their faith has been profoundly shaken. With professional help, many are now re-connecting with their faith and re-building their relationship with God.
In every parish and religious organisation in the country, there is a literal army of volunteers ensuring that safeguarding is always considered. Working groups are looking at safety around emerging technologies, and constantly keeping the conversation about protection alive in parish settings.
We need to keep victims of abuse at the centre of our thoughts (and prayers) and do everything in our power to ensure that they can find healing and peace.
We also need to recommit to ensure that we have a Church that is constantly calibrating itself by the light of the Gospel and walking humbly leading people towards spiritual wellness and holistic holiness.
Michael Kelly is Director of Public Affairs with Aid to the Church in Need, Ireland and a former Editor of The Irish Catholic.
Shedding light to rebuild trust
The new report on abuse in religious-run schools is demoralising, and yet so much good work is being done writes Michael Kelly
The ‘scoping inquiry’ investigating historical allegations of abuse in religious-run schools again shines a light on a dark part of Irish history. It lifts the lid on a culture where predators abused with impunity, and children felt unable to tell either their parents or anyone in authority in the schools who could’ve acted to stop the abuse.
The pain endured by victims of abuse, and the sense of scandal that it has given rise to cannot be minimised or easily explained away. It will cast a long shadow over the Church in Ireland for generations and will forever now be a part of Irish ecclesiastical history.
We all rightly share the sense of horror and outrage that so much suffering went on, and so few people have been held to account. It’s a sad fact of the criminal justice system that most people who do harm to children evade worldly justice. At the same time, experts say that the number of people who come forward to report childhood abuse is a minority of those who have suffered.
Again Catholics – not least the overwhelming majority of priests and religious whose ministry was nothing short of heroic – are dismayed. It has been a punishing 25 years for Catholics as they have seen the rug pulled out from under them. Scandalous revelations have shaken us all, and yet we go on loving the Church despite it all because it is the place where we see grace in action and touch the face of Christ in Word and Sacrament.
And yet, if there is some solace in times like this it is the fact that the team working on the scoping inquiry relied largely on the religious orders for compiling the report and tabulating the statistics.
Despite the awfulness, it is also reassuring to know that all the allegations were shared with both the gardaí and the Child and Family Agency, often years ago.
One of the frustrations is the superficial nature of much of the reporting. You could be forgiven this week for assuming that all these allegations are new and that the religious orders have learnt nothing over the past 25 years.
Thankfully, nothing could be farther from the truth. Gains in safeguarding in the Church have been hard won, and only come about after so many brave people came forward to speak of their experiences, but they are real.
The Church in Ireland now has world-class child safeguarding policies and procedures in place – any fair commentator will acknowledge this. Social workers will privately confess that they wish other organisations in Ireland would learn the hard lessons that the Catholic Church has learnt and embrace similar stringent policies.
Every allegation, even against someone who is now deceased, is immediately shared with the gardaí and Tusla. In the case of Northern Ireland, the PSNI and social services are contacted as soon as a concern is expressed, or an allegation is made.
The entire safeguarding culture in the Church is supervised by the independent National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland (NBSCCCI) which carries out regular audits on how dioceses and religious orders are responding to allegations of abuse.
More than this, they assess the steps that are being taken to make it easier for people to come forward to make allegations and the sort of support that complainants receive.
Counselling, therapy and financial redress are a core part of the Church’s response. Towards Healing is a professional service offering support and counselling to those who have suffered abuse by priests or religious or in an institutional setting.
At the same time, the organisation Towards Peace has emerged from the felt need of victims and survivors for spiritual support. It’s a cruel fact of abuse in a Church setting that often those abused were people closest to the Church, and their faith has been profoundly shaken. With professional help, many are now re-connecting with their faith and re-building their relationship with God.
In every parish and religious organisation in the country, there is a literal army of volunteers ensuring that safeguarding is always considered. Working groups are looking at safety around emerging technologies, and constantly keeping the conversation about protection alive in parish settings.
We need to keep victims of abuse at the centre of our thoughts (and prayers) and do everything in our power to ensure that they can find healing and peace.
We also need to recommit to ensure that we have a Church that is constantly calibrating itself by the light of the Gospel and walking humbly leading people towards spiritual wellness and holistic holiness.
Michael Kelly is Director of Public Affairs with Aid to the Church in Need, Ireland and a former Editor of The Irish Catholic.
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