IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph
17 September 2005
In their wisdom the Roman Catholic bishops of Ireland have decided that a fund be created to finance compensation claims for clerical sexual abuse. The diocese of Derry must contribute £1,000,000.
Bishop Seamus Hegarty would prefer to raise this money from the devout of the diocese. The administrator of the cathedral decided to consult his parishioners with a survey asking them for their preferred method of contribution to the fund.
The people did not practice any clerical sexual abuse rather, by omission and neglect, it was the fault of parish priests and the Catholic hierarchy.
In many respects the devout of the Church are also victims of this scandal. Due to the poor stewardship of the hierarchy, the people and any new entrants to the priesthood must carry this shame, undeservedly.
By hiding the problem, over generations, the remote, elitist, hierarchy of the Catholic Church have practised institutionalised, unchristian, wilful disregard for the welfare of God's people.
Let those in the hierarchy take responsibility for their own sin and that of their predecessors. In fear of shame, they denied and buried the problem of abusing priests. They now expect the innocent people to take responsibility for their shame and the penalty for their sins of omission and commission.