BishopAccountability.org
	The Satanic Litanies The Australian May 21, 2009 http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25519127-16382,00.html Irish children suffered savage cruelty and callous indifference THEY were beaten brutally and often - on the soles of the feet, hanging from hooks, on open blisters, with spade handles, chair legs and crucifixes from nuns' belts. They were stripped, belittled, burned with hot pokers, locked in cupboards, bitten, scalded, held under water and set upon by dogs. They slaved in laundries, made rosary beads, were given little food and not educated. Their heads were shaved, their beds packed with nettles and they were forced to kneel and beg "almighty God's pardon, Our Lady's pardon. Pardon, my companions, pardon for the bad example I have shown." The blind and deaf were preyed upon mercilessly. Sexual abuse, assault and rape were endemic. Anyone with a heart or a conscience will be deeply moved by the nightmare exposed over 2600 pages from Ireland's nine-year inquiry into child abuse. Those who profess the Catholic faith or feel attached to Ireland will be shaken to their foundations by the torments of 30,000 poor, vulnerable children in church orphanages and reform schools from the 1930s to the 1990s. Of 1000 witnesses, 90 per cent were physically abused and half were sexually abused in 216 institutions. More than 800 abusers - Christian Brothers, nuns and others - were identified; a fraction of those were prosecuted. In criticising the "deferential and submissive attitude" of Irish authorities towards religious orders, the report pinpointed a major factor in the scandal. Technically separate, church and state in Ireland have long been too-closely intertwined. The relationship bred secrecy and shielded criminality, even torture. That the Christian Brothers could shamelessly delay the investigation for a year with a lawsuit that granted their abusers anonymity shows the balance remains askew. The rampant abuse and protracted cover-ups reflect a dearth of compassion and leadership among Irish clerical and secular authorities. Neither spared much thought, apparently, for children institutionalised for truancy, minor offences or because their parents were dead or unmarried. In Australia and elsewhere, what must not be allowed is for the vast majority of dedicated, hard-working priests and religious to wear the odium for a minority. Yesterday, ABC radio was premature to point the finger at "the many offending members of the clergy ... sent abroad to places like Australia, where they were allowed to restart their lives without reference to their crimes". The Christian Brothers, Sisters of Mercy, Sisters of Charity and other religious orders operate in Australia but, as yet, there is no evidence of such links. Across the world, including in Australia, church and civil authorities have grappled with child abuse for more than a decade. Irish authorities must stop making excuses and make amends. No protection, especially, should be extended by a church whose founder said whoever harms "these little ones" would be better with "a heavy millstone" around the neck and "cast into the sea".
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