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	No Mother Had a Chance against the Powers They Were up against By Sinead Ryan The Herald December 4, 2009 http://www.herald.ie/opinion/no-mother-had--a-chance-against--the-powers-they-were-up-against-1964502.html Let blame rest where it rightfully does -- not with parents who could do nothing to help A caller to one of the many radio talk shows discussing the fallout from the Murphy Report this week simply couldn't understand why parents, who knew paedophile priests were operating, didn't do more. "But why didn't they tell the guards?" she demanded. "Why didn't they keep it up?" She sounded young -- perhaps a young mother herself. Her bewilderment is easy to understand if we apply today's values and society to the question Insist However, she was referring to 30 or 40 years ago when, despite parents' concerns and in some cases, full knowledge, the very authorities that today we would insist on hearing us, turned a deaf ear. Worse, in some cases, they colluded with those suspected of committing crimes. Yesterday's re-telling of the tragic murder of Bernadette Connolly, believed to have been carried out by a monk, now deceased, at Cloonmahon Monastery, is a classic, if appalling, example of the extent of 'cover up' -- a word which in today's language merely means not quite telling the truth -- a 'mental reservation' if you like. Sure, it could happen to a bishop. In reality, at the time, it meant much, much more. The deliberate altering of facts, harbouring of criminals, the warning off of gardai and wholesale lying to the community. What hope, given the premeditated and calculated, and for the most part, successful, efforts to move priests around, delay investigations and threaten families and gardai into co-operation did ordinary mothers and fathers have to be heard? You couldn't beat systematic denial like that. Apart from the standing an ordinary priest had in any community, he was generally well educated, articulate, condescending and authoritarian. Facing up to him was a mother who knew 'something' was going on, despite the stuttering, unclear language of a child trying her best to attempt to explain the unfamiliar feelings and prodding about her body by the most trusted of all people. She has right on her side, but he has the entire wealth and power of the Catholic church behind him. No contest. Denial and obfuscation has become an art form perfected by the church almost to the extent that they themselves cannot see what is wrong with it. Even the judges charged with the full resources of the State to uncover wrongdoing, found themselves banging their heads against brick walls. That's only in the last few years. Go back several decades before Liveline, before Gerry Ryan, before television cameras, before 24-hour news bulletins and before the internet. What's left is complete control by a church not only unwilling but unable to see any fault in its own; a police force bound by the same strictures and no other agency to call upon. EVIL It is hard to believe today where we can be angry and righteous 24/7 -- where somebody will always listen and we can be heard. Somebody will take up the cudgel on our behalf and swing it in the right direction most of the time. There was nothing like that. "Problem solved" by the church meant the priest was gone to another parish. It wasn't up to you to ask where, why or question in any way. None of your business. It was the classic three monkeys: hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. Go back to little Bernadette Connolly for a minute. There were some good, persistent and fairly senior gardai doing their job. They were stymied, not just by the priests they attempted to interview, but by their own bosses. Every step of the way, clergy were hushing up, covering trails and ignoring the law. Worse still, garda authorities were helping them, releasing murder investigation files to the church, and generally interfering with progress. Judge Murphy had some very good things to say about gardai in her report but clear shortcomings were highlighted in others. No mother or father had even the slightest chance against the force of power they were up against. Let the blame rest where it rightfully does -- not with the parents who could do nothing to help.
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