Victims of abuse speak out

“Pope Benedict XVI’s latest apology for the emerging global scandal of child abuse by predatory priests – an issue that the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) should have engaged years ago – is strong on forgiveness, but far short of the full accountability that Catholics need for repairing,” The New York Times wrote last week. As the now-adult victims of molestation by priests increasingly are coming to the fore, it is clear that the RCC is far from out of the woods on perhaps the greatest threat in its long history.

One of the most spellbinding responses can be found in the comments section of a recent report on the OpenDemocracy website. A victim who identifies himself as Gerry Stafford writes an open letter to the Pope.

To Joseph Ratzinger, doing business (as usual) as His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI

Dear Joe

You have apologised for the sexual abuse perpetrated against me and other children of Ireland. Thank you, I think.

By way of response, can I suggest that you have something of a misunderstanding of the nature of the scandal? While paedophilia and the abuses associated with it are a problem, the real scandals are the cover-up conspiracies perpetrated by those whose only compulsion was to sweep matters under the carpet.

You tell me that you “recently invited the Irish bishops to a meeting here in Rome to give an account” and are “confident that, as a result, the [same] bishops will now be in a stronger position to carry forward the work”. Wow! Thank you, I think.

It is your prayer that the Church in Ireland will overcome the present crisis. Jeez, Joe. I thought you were apologising to me. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were more concerned with damage control.

Anyway, thank you, I think

Your apology would have me believe that it was the growth of a secular society in Ireland that brought about many of the wrongs which the church so cynically concealed. As someone who was there, let me tell you that it was that very secularisation of the community which allowed us to wriggle out from under the heels of our abusers and afforded us the opportunity to air our grievances in the light of day.

Joe, you also seem to be still kind of hung up on the abuses rather than the cover-up.
However, thank you, I think.

You concede that those... who were abused in residential institutions must have felt that there was no escape from [the] sufferings. Again, Joe, you are missing an important point. In Ireland in the mid 20th century, the whole of society was under the jackboots of the parish priest with regular systemic interference in all aspects of family, social and political life – complete with regular denunciations and railing from the pulpit against those who did not comply or conform. You also compare the suffering of the abused to that of Jesus. Well, we all know who the Judas is here.

You exhort the abusers of children to “acknowledge... guilt”, and  “submit... to the demands of justice”. Not a bad start, but missing an essential ingredient... your exhortation to those who were the facilitators of those same abuses. I don’t expect a run on the police stations, but one can hope. Thank you, I think.

Joe, you talk of the shock experienced by parents in learning of the terrible things that took place. The real shock was for children in the 1950s and 1960s who, on telling Mum or Dad of the abuses, discovered that their parents were impotent.  My parents are dead, but if they were alive, they would not thank you, I think.

You encourage the children and young of Ireland “to bring… much-needed enthusiasm and idealism to the rebuilding and renewal of our beloved Church”. But jeez, Joe, the same foxes are still in charge of the hen house. No thank you, I think.

You encourage the clergy of Ireland to “co-operate closely with those in authority”. But Joe, the foxes, the foxes.

You push your Brother Bishops to fully implement the norms of canon law in addressing cases of child abuse and to continue to co-operate with the civil authorities in their area of competence. (You shouldn’t make jokes, Joe. People are getting pissed off.)

Anyway. You really don’t get it, do you? Child abuse and criminal conspiracies after the fact are the realm of the Civil Authorities. Canon law has no place here… these are criminal matters. Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and then we will thank you. I think.

You admit “measures to deal justly with individual crimes are essential, yet on their own they are not enough”. You may well be right. But let’s not put the cart before the horse. Deal with the crimes first and then we’ll get down to the business of vision renewal.

You invite the clergy and everyone else to bury our heads in the sands of prayer, penance and contemplation. Sorry, Joe, it’s heads up here now. But for the words, thank you, I think.

Gerry Stafford

Vancouver, BC