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The Forum > Article Comments > Child sex abuse and the Catholic clergy > Comments

Child sex abuse and the Catholic clergy : Comments

By Brendan O'Reilly, published 17/12/2013

The difficulty is that the churches lose all credibility if they are caught not living up to their own standards, which is what has happened.

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Dear SD,

You have a good heart!

Wishing All That Is Beautiful in Life!
Posted by Foxy, Wednesday, 18 December 2013 3:59:57 PM
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Shaggy Dog, I am sure that sexual abuse victims would like nothing more than being able to forget their past.

However, in the case of those abused by Catholic clergy anyway, the injustice of most of the perpetrators never having been brought to justice, and the continuing cover-ups by that church hierarchy even to today, must surely not allow them to forget...
Posted by Suseonline, Thursday, 19 December 2013 12:36:42 AM
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Suse,
You do not forget the past, that's impossible, but you should not live in it.
That is destructive, to yourself.
SD
Posted by Shaggy Dog, Thursday, 19 December 2013 8:34:33 AM
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Dear Suse,

We haven't yet even begun to calculate the damage these
crimes have done to people's trust and to the reputation
of the church. Young people - and their elders - are
rightly sceptical about everything the church says about
sexuality. This has a flow-on effect with the church's
entire message. Trust is going to have to be built from
the bottom up by bishops and priests before their
pronouncements on morality will be taken seriously again.

Also the kind of uncompromising, unfriendly and
unattractive "boots and all," bully-boy style of
Catholicism that's often reflected by some leading church
people probably does even more harm. Sadly, so many
that claim to represent Catholicism are aggressive,
reactionary Catholics. Some of them are astonishingly rude
and arrogant, and much of their discussion is carried out
in the most extraordinary vicious and confronting terms.
I met one at St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney - who was a
shocker - and most unpleasant man.
Name-calling, shrill denunciation,
sneering are the principal modes of expressing
disagreement on any issue. These people present the most
unappealing possible picture of what it is to be a
Catholic, or to live as a Catholic. And this sort of image
makes Catholicism unattractive and certainly not worthy
of intelligent investigation. People remember these
attitdues for years.

We're all attracted by good people and most of us are
much more likely to become motivated by hope and interest
in God through good experiences than through intellectual
conviction. Certainly, for a small minority, intellectual
conviction might come first, but for most it comes later.
Attitude makes all the difference.
Posted by Foxy, Thursday, 19 December 2013 8:47:03 AM
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Hi Foxy, yes I know what you mean.
As often I carry on about the Catholic Church , I also remember a wonderful Nun I knew at school.

She was such a cheerful, gentle soul who never hurt a fly, and she was always hugging everyone!
She played guitar and sang like an angel.
I took up guitar playing because of her.
I am sure that if there were such things as saints, she would be one of them.
Posted by Suseonline, Thursday, 19 December 2013 9:45:55 AM
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Foxy/Suse,
I cannot comment on the Catholic institutions, I did spend some time in one but I was so young my recollections are very fragmented.
The rest of my childhood was spent in an institution of another denomination but it, like most institutions of the time had it's faults.
As you are possibly aware and would expect those of us who lived in these various institutions have compared experiences over the years. We are possibly far more honest and open when talking to each other than we are to those who do not have the shared experience. This is a normal human reaction.
As I say there is no excuse for the perpetrators of abuse and they should be punished but most individuals who suffered abuse I have found over the years just got on with life and do not see themselves as victims. It was just the hand they were dealt.
For myself I was out in the world on my own at fifteen, educated myself to a tertiary level, have held senior management positions.
Life is there for the living, it is a one act play with no rehearsal, live in the past and you will miss the performance.
Take it easy.
SD
Posted by Shaggy Dog, Thursday, 19 December 2013 10:29:46 AM
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