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	The Crime of Inaction By Vittorio Buffachi Guardian November 27, 2009 http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2009/nov/27/catholic-sexual-abuse-ireland One priest admitted sexually abusing children every two weeks for 25 years. Some boys who were abused by one priest were later passed on to their friends and abused again. Another priest admitted abusing over 100 children. And as often the case with sexual violence, this is only the tip of the iceberg – for every victim who came forward, there are many more who seek peace in silence. These are only some of the findings of the report published yesterday by the commission of investigation into Dublin's Catholic archdiocese. The commission's report covers the period between 1 January 1975 and 30 April 2004. One can only assume that there were many more cases of child sex abuse prior to 1975, and even more cases of abuse around the Republic of Ireland outside of Dublin. While all cases of child sex abuse are devastating, there is something about this story that is particularly disturbing. When children are systematically sexually abused for a period of decades by men wearing the collar, the perpetrators of violence are not only the deviant priests serving in parishes and religious orders. Violence is also done by those working at all levels in the Catholic church, both in Ireland and outside, who knew that these abuses were taking place and did nothing to stop this crime, or to bring the paedophiles to justice. In On Liberty, John Stuart Mill addressed the question of the evil effects of certain inactions or omissions, with characteristic clarity: "A person may cause evil to others not only by his actions but by his inactions, and in either case he is justly accountable to them for the injury." The evil of a paedophile priest is beyond question. But in the attempt to cover-up such practices the church was itself doing an act of violence. The real issue here is the persistent and systematic cover-up by the Catholic church of the rape and sexual abuse of children by members of the clergy. The four archbishops who presided over the Dublin diocese from the 1960s knew that children were being sexually abused in the parishes, and yet their only concern was to avoid any hint of scandal. Complainants were often met with flat denial, and paedophile priests were simply moved from parish to parish. Such blatant inaction by higher authorities within the church resulted in even more children being violated. The Irish state and the police force are also guilty of violence by omission. The report suggests that some members of the police were aware of the accusations against certain priests but failed to challenge the power of the church. In an institution as rigid and hierarchical as the Catholic church, it is hard to believe that the cover-up stopped within Ireland. Sexual abuse cases involving cover-ups have also been reported in England, France, Australia and the United States. For years, the Vatican viewed reports of child sex abuse within its authorities as attempts to discredit the church or as part of an orchestrated campaign against celibacy. In 2006 Pope Benedict XVI spoke of his deep sorrow and distress at the suffering endured by the victims of 20 priests who sexually abused children in the diocese of Ferns. The Vatican has many questions to answer. If there is one lesson that must be learned from this report, it is that violence can be done in many ways: either by way of a direct action, or by an inaction. Paedophilia is unquestionably one of the most sickening forms of direct violence; but knowing that children are being sexually abused and doing nothing about it, therefore forbearing to prevent the crime, is arguably an even greater evil.
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