With the Royal Commission into the Institutional Abuse of Children in Australia still underway, maybe, it is time to have a look at how these institutions are choosing to deal with the ramifications from the heartbreaking evidence being presented to the Commission. Oh, there will be measures that will be seen to be done, but will the culture that forms the basis of the institution actually change? I don't think so! No, I know so!
The abuse within the Catholic Church is as entrenched as it is endemic. It occurs worldwide, and the weak and the vulnerable, they are supposed to protect, are laid bare at the alter, sacrificed to some deviate Priest or Brother. The abuse has occurred since the very beginning of the Church and continues today. With the installation of Pope Francis there is a glimmer of hope as this gentle, humble man seeks to reconnect the arrogant Catholic Church with its parishioners. However, how disappointing is the the beatification of Pope John Paul 11 (to say this has been expediated, is something of an understatement). Along with the help of Pope Benedict he swept the problem under the carpet. What message does this beatification send to the victims of abuse at the hands of the Catholic Church? They make the very man who oversaw, and facilitated, the destruction of evidence of abuse and, the protection of the Priests who perpetuated it - a Saint!!! May God help us, as the Catholic Church surely will not!
The Church has been dragged kicking and screaming (with the exception of a few) to the Royal Commission. They claim that the abuse has been dealt with! That their "Toward Healing" Program, where victims of abuse are coerced into signing confidentiality clauses, and offered some paltry sum for their suffering, has been successful in the rehabilitation of the victims. Pffft! Meanwhile, the Priest has been moved to another Parish or the ultimate protection of the Vatican to continue his abuse of the next lot of victims. When victims and their parents have enough courage to go to the police they are stonewalled at every turn. Once again the Church closes ranks to protect the Priest and force the victims and their families into massive debt, fighting their way through the legal system. Not only are they victims of the ongoing sexual abuse, they are further abused by the Church as they seek justice for their suffering. What makes this the most heinous of situations is the Church preaches its ethos of Christian caring and sharing. And yet, all the while not only failing to initially protect the vulnerable, but actively working against the victim to protect the perpetrators and the finances of the richest institution on Earth.
When we think of institutional abuse we think of the hapless victims of abuse within the orphanages run by the catholic Church and others. The physical abuse and mental abuse at the hands of the nuns and brothers is horrendous, and only surpassed by the sexual abuse metered out to these children. However, sexual abuse occurred at nearly every Catholic Parish in Australia at some time or another depending upon whether there was a pedophile Priest in residence or not. How disgusting that these deviates supposedly doing the Lord's work were/are allowed to continue unchecked. You can be guaranteed in Third World Countries, where the Catholic Church is the fastest growing church, that history is repeating itself and the little boys and girls will fall victim to the pedophiles in a collar and a frock that supposedly preach the word of God. Thank God in places like Australia, the abuse will no longer be as widespread. However, a nun recently said to me, that all these new Priests being imported from overseas have very little regard for Australia's Child Protection Laws! WTF??? Will the Catholic Church ever learn.
Recently, Catholic Education went into damage control when sexual abuse went unchecked in the Toowoomba Diocese. Damage control was put into place as this abuse happened here and now - not in the past - but now! But this was all it was - damage control. Is there endemic sexual abuse in Catholic Schools today? I very much doubt it! However, what concerns me is, that these institutions that live by the Catholic ethos of caring and sharing, are run by people who ultimately work to protect the Church not the child. How hypocritical is the Catholic Church, outlawing birth control and yet offering communion to the multitudes who practice it. Divorce is not recognized by the Catholic Church and yet it is fine to pay squillions to the Vatican to get an annulment. What happens to the children of this marriage that never existed? Are they now Bastards, illegitimate children from a non existent union? Why is homosexuality outlawed by the Church and yet it is perfectly fine for a Priest who has taken the Vow of Celebacy to rape and sodomize little boys? This 'fine' Institution makes me sick to my soul.
If the richest institution on Earth has a soul at all, it would practice the Christian ethos it preaches instead of the ethos it practices. Its ethos of fucking everything over, and sweeping it under the carpet is alive and well. And they wonder why their congregations are made up of a dwindling number of ancient parishioners clutching their Rosary Beads. Pope Francis is a new hope that there will indeed be real change. I just hope he lives long enough to bring change to fruition and drag the Catholic Church into the real world. Maybe the stripping of The Vatican of its "State" status will be the beginning. We can only pray that the lawyers taking on this case have divine help on their side. The resistance from a church, that bought its "State" status from Mussolini in the Second World War with its loyalty to the fascist regime, means it will not give up this up lightly. The stripping of this status will make all the pedophile Priests that have been elevated to Cardinals open to extradition orders and able to face charges in the country of their crimes.
One of the true legacies of Australia's first woman Prime Minister is the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Abuse. It has for the first time allowed these horrifically damaged people a voice. The courage of those who's lives have been ruined is truly amazing, and I hope for some it brings a glimmer of hope and a little peace. It will never bring back those lost to suicide, the years lost to alcoholism and drug abuse, those who battle mental illness, those who have ended up in jail, and most importantly the innocence lost. We can never give these people back their childhoods and in many cases their lives. Without the Royal commission the Churches involved would never have come forward to acknowledge their involvement or the damage they have caused. It has made the Churches at least acknowledge that these crimes were perpetrated on their watch. The real test will be if real change results from the finding. Not just lip service, not just an apology so long as their is a confidentiality clause, but real change where the perpetrators are handed over to face the full force of the law and real, unconditional compensation is given to victims.
To the victims of such crimes, I admire your courage. I admire that you have made your way in life with all the dignity you could muster. May you begin to make peace with your place in the world, and find contentment in the knowledge that your story is finally being heard.
God bless!
Bitches Coz
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