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	Motherwell Bishop Defends “anti-catholic Agenda” Comments By Richard Mooney Wishaw Press June 10, 2010 http://www.wishawpress.co.uk/wishaw-news/local-wishaw-news/wishaw-news/2010/06/09/motherwell-bishop-defends-anti-catholic-agenda-comments-76495-26613272/ MOTHERWELL Bishop Joseph Devine this week defended his comments about a media-driven “anti-Catholic agenda” which sparked outrage from victims of child sex abuse. Speaking in a Sunday newspaper last week, Bishop Devine said that some media outlets were “hell-bent on depicting the Catholic Church as the paedophile empire of sexual abuse against children.” He explained that, while some in the church committed “grievous sins and perversions” against the vulnerable, “the overwhelmingly innocent” majority of the clergy should not take the blame. The bishop’s article has provoked a strong reaction from sexual abuse victims, who have described the comments by the head of the Motherwell Diocese as “ignorant”. In the article, he said:“The Catholic Church has been subjected to the fiercest scrutiny and interrogation by some sections of the media and others, some incautiously hell-bent on depicting the Church as the paedophile empire of sexual abuse against children. “Some of their more fallacious allegations betray something insidious about their agenda. We are thankful that what failures we have been guilty of have been exposed. The truth is paramount.” He added: “The scathing reaction by the media and society to the incidence of child sex abuse in the Church has been chastening but for the most part welcome. “In the last 40 years, the proportion of clergy who have ever had sexual allegations made against them is about one in 200 or less than half of one per cent. “Not all were guilty but many were. An unforgivable and shameful fact. Yet official statistics reveal that more than 75 per cent of all sexual abuse of minors happens in the family, perpetrated by family members, mostly those who are married, and by others known to the victims.” Sexual abuse victim Helen Holland, who is an advisor for the Scottish Executive-backed Time To Be Heard project – a confidential forum which encourages victims to come forward about their experiences, described some of the comments as “ignorant”. Helen also said she and knew of “no research by anyone within the Catholic Church to find out what levels of abuse there were, or to speak with survivors to find out what abuse took place.” She said: “This isn’t about being anti-Catholic. The hierarchy in Scotland can’t seem to see the level of harm this has done to individuals. “Why do the media keep coming back to it? My answer to the bishop would be because you haven’t done anything to deal with the pain this has caused in people’s lives.” Speaking to the Wishaw Press, a spokesman for Bishop Devine said: “To read some press reports and listen to many public debates agitated by the humanist/atheist/secular lobby, one could easily be led to believe that the Catholic Church is the evil empire regarding the sexual abuse of children. “That is simply not true. All the figures and research make that quite clear. The focus of the comments was to identify that child sex abuse was a problem that has affected all institutions in society that are involved with children and young people including the Catholic Church. “They have directed a blowtorch at the Church, setting it up to take all of the flak. They seem more interested in damaging the Church than taking action and proposing solutions that will provide better protection for children everywhere. “More than any other institution in the UK, the Catholic Church is in the vanguard of putting radical reforms in place to protect children and young people. “But even when the Church has completed all its reforms, what about the safety of children in other institutions where the vast majority of child abuse takes place? The Church’s critics are much less vociferous about that. “The Catholic Church accepts its grievous failings and guilt. It will forever seek forgiveness from those it failed. But there are also many, many good people doing wonderful work for millions of sick and destitute people both at home and throughout the world. “They should not be vilified for the evil done by others. Nor should their work be put at risk by those who are obsessed with maligning the Catholic Church.”
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