IRELAND
The Sligo Champion
Listening to a tormented priest on RTE radio confessing his innermost feelings of disgust and shame at the revelations contained in the Murphy Report into the rape and sexual abuse of children in the Diocese of Ferns gave some idea of how let down and isolated many of his colleagues feel at present.
He told of his mortification and fury - not to mention initial incredulity - at the sheer scale of what has been uncovered and admitted to the nation that he felt like simply staying on in bed when his alarm clock rang at 7 a.m., rather than having to face his parishioners on the morning after the report was published. He simply hadn't the heart to carry on, but eventually, he rose and, with head down, reluctantly went out into the world.
Among the many victims who have been scarred and brutalised by this appalling scandal - and there are many - it is easy to forget that ordinary priests going about their daily work, have been victims too.