By Alan Howe
Herald Sun
August 15, 2011
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/dont-let-christian-brothers-stay-quiet/story-fn56avn8-1226114786723
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| The Christian Brothers spent more than $1m defending Brother Robert Best. Supplied |
FOR the boys hunted by the sickening nest of paedophiles that ruled Ballarat's St Alipius school, there was no escape.
They were trapped in an evil maze of aroused, leering priests and brothers drooling with anticipation at the thought of having forced sex with confused youngsters so frightened they thought they would die.
Many of them did. Records show that up to 30 died by their own hand. I'll leave it to you and, hopefully, an upcoming state inquiry, to decide who really stole their lives.
Any such inquiry may find the Catholic Church is to blame for many of those deaths and short, anguished lives. And for the unforgivable denials and cover-ups that followed.
These were innocents entrusted to the church by hard-working Catholic believers who paid fees they made great sacrifices to afford in the belief that St Alipius would prepare their children for adulthood and the hopes and challenges ahead.
Instead, some of the clergy picked over the new boys who started at the beginning of each year, choosing their vulnerable targets like the skilled paedophiles they were.
Last Monday, justice of sorts caught up with one of this "Christian" cabal: Brother Robert Best. He was sentenced to 14 years and nine months.
The Christian Brothers, I am reliably informed, spent more than $1 million on Best's defence. If only they had been more Christian and offered that money as part compensation for the lives they ruined.
The actuary's tables suggest Best will die in prison. If there is a God, we'd like Best's meeting with Him soonish to sort out some eternal issues. This may involve quite a queue, in which will likely be a few men well known to Best.
But will there be an inquiry in to the Catholic Church's sex abuse scandals?
One man, Anthony Foster, whose family has been almost destroyed by the Catholic Church, believes there will be.
He and wife Chrissie had three daughters, two of whom were raped by the bisexual paedophile Father Kevin O'Donnell. One committed suicide, another is severely brain damaged.
On Friday night our new and impressive Attorney-General, Robert Clark, would not rule out an inquiry in to the church's sex abuse crisis.
Does Mr Foster believe we will get that inquiry the church so opposes?
"Yes, we will. Because we must."
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