An Irish Abuse Victim's Response to Benedict XVI's Faux Apology

Colm O’Gorman (pictured at left) was born in Wexford, Ireland in July 1966. In 1998 he launched a legal case against the Roman Catholic Church as a result of his experiences of sexual abuse at the hands of one of its priests when he was a teenager. He went on to sue the Bishop of his home diocese of Ferns and the Pope. In 2002 he took part in a BBC documentary, which told the story of his battle with the Roman Catholic Church. The film, Suing the Pope aired in March 2002 and resulted in the resignation of the Bishop of Ferns Dr Brendan Comiskey. Colm returned to live in Ireland in 2003 to found One in Four Ireland. In his role as Director of One in Four (an organization for victims of abuse), he was instrumental in the establishment of the Ferns Inquiry, the first state investigation into clerical sexual abuse in Ireland. The inquiry investigated the management of child sexual abuse concerns and allegations by the Catholic Church and by State authorities. This is his preliminary response to Benedict XVI's "pastoral letter to Irish Catholics:
*
On Saturday Pope Benedict XVI published his letter to the Irish Church on the issue of child abuse. What was necessary seemed clear. As Pope, acknowledge the cover up by Roman Catholic Church of the rape and abuse of children by priests, take responsibility for it, and show how you will ensure it never happens again.
* But the letter failed to do any of this. There was no acceptance of responsibility for the now established cover up, no plan to ensure that across the global church those who rape and abuse will be reported to the civil authorities and children properly protected.
*
The letter is clearly an effort to restore the credibility of a church rocked by the publication of three state investigations into clerical crimes and church over ups in Ireland. The Pope has seen all three of these reports.
*
Disgracefully, the Pope used his letter and this issue to attack one of his favourite targets, secularisation. We are asked to believe that the secularisation of Irish society led to abuse and cover up. In fact, it is the secularisation of society that finally led to the exposure of the crimes of the church. The most horrific abuse was perpetrated, not in a secularised Ireland, but at a time when Irish society was dominated, socially and politically, by the Catholic Church
*
The Pope’s letter has been described as ‘unprecedented’ and an important step forward by the Vatican in dealing with clerical child sexual abuse. It is neither. Just consider an earlier Papal decree addressing the issue of catholic clergy abusing children. In his papal order Horrendum, Pope Pius V said that priests who abused children were to be stripped of the priesthood, deprived of all income and privileges and handed over to the civil authorities. Pretty strong stuff, especially when one considers that it was issued in 1568.
*
Compare with that the actions identified by this modern day Pope at the end of his letter. He has decreed that Irish Catholics should pray, fast and do penance for the next year in order to bring about the rebirth of the Irish Church. . . . this letter is in fact a massive step backward when compared to the standard set by a sixteenth century Pope. Strip away some worthy and welcome sentiments, consider the important issues ignored and all that remains is a constant concern for the preservation of the institutional church. Most damningly, there is little to suggest any real concern for the safety of children across the global church.
*
O'Goram has hit the nail right on its head. The moral bankruptcy of the Church's leadership is nearly complete. Can the Catholic Church be saved? In my opinion, not without a revolt by the laity and the wholesale elimination of the current Church hierarchy.