Catholic child abuse: Nothing changes in a corrupt state

A nun from the institution delivered the complainant to him for the purposes of permitting the abuse.

The complainant alleged that the nun was complicit in the abuse on these occasions and that the nun herself participated in the abuse and watched it taking place.

She alleged that she was gang-raped by three or four men in that house and that Fr Cassius was one of the participants in the rape.

It’s critical, I believe, when considering the Murphy Report to keep two things in mind at all times.

Firstly, the absolute horror, helplessness and fear experienced by the children as they were abused and secondly that the official reaction to the report is exactly as can be expected from the ruling regime of a corrupt state.

A standard part of that reaction involves endless talk and analysis coupled with endless inquiries but never, ever, any direct action.

Here’s Garda Commissioner, Fachtna Murphy, commentating on the recently announced inquiry by the assistant Garda commissioner (Six One News, 4th report, 2nd item).

He will examine handling of the complaints and the handling of the investigation and not just by the Gardai alone but by church and state authorities and he will report to me with his recommendations.

So when I get that report from the assistant commissioner I will consult with the Director of Public Prosecutions to see if criminal liability arises.

So, after three years of detailed and exhaustive investigation by Judge Yvonne Murphy culminating in overwhelming evidence of serious crimes the state launches an inquiry into the findings of that inquiry.

The Garda commissioner then tells us that when that inquiry is complete, let’s be generous and give it another three years, he will consult (conduct an inquiry) with the DPP to see if criminal liability arises.

The DPP will then consult himself and his advisors (yet another inquiry), over a couple of years, by which time the whole scandal will be forgotten and quietly dropped.

The following extract from the report provides us with a good idea of how this strategy works. The extract concerns a renegade priest who was sent to America after becoming an ‘embarrassment’ (Judge Murphy’s emphasis).

The bishops decided to let him go to the USA. They, in effect, set him loose on the unsuspecting population of Stockton, California.

Monsignor Stenson noted in a contemporaneous memo that the garda inspector, on being informed that Mr ? was in the USA, commented that this made his task much easier in that “they will hardly send me to America for him”.

That same afternoon, the inspector called to Archbishop‟s House and, according to Monsignor Stenson‟s contemporaneous notes, 338,
informed Monsignor Stenson:

“The Guards are aware that should the matter surface in the Sunday World in two or three years time it is important for them to have covered their tracks. Hence the present enquiry”.

No matter how heinous the crime the Catholic Church must be protected

Less than 24 hours after the Ryan Report into child abuse by the Catholic Church was published the country went into denial.

Instead of discussing the holocaust of horrors that took place within Catholic concentration camps the ruling elite and much of the media focused entirely on the question of how much extra money should be paid to the victims.

The same strategy is being followed with the publication of the Murphy Report.

Instead of immediately arresting the bishops involved including Cardinal Connell and putting them on trial the ruling elite and most of the media is focused entirely on the question of whether those involved should resign.

The dishonest and manipulative Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, said it’s up to the bishops themselves. The so called leader of our nation Brian Cowen says it’s up to the church, nothing to do with him and bishop Murray, one of those named, says it’s up to the people and priests of his parish.

The message is clear –the Catholic Church must be protected no matter how heinous the crime.

Archbishop Martin: A dishonest manipulator

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin is a dishonest, slyly manipulative defender of the obnoxious and evil organisation of which he is an enthusiastic member – the Catholic Church.

Martin and his church, with the full cooperation of the State, have been planning their strategy since last January to minimise the impact of this report and they have been largely successful in their aim.

Archbishop Martin is no different from his predecessors in that his principal concern is for the good of the Catholic Church rather than justice for the abused children.

Apologies slip easily off his well trained tongue but when hard questions are put to him he simply comments on the question or talks about something else. He launched his defence of the Catholic Church with these words:

As Archbishop of Dublin and as Diarmuid Martin a person I offer to each and every survivor my apology, my sorrow blah blah blah…

This was the only occasion when the Archbishop spoke of himself as a person rather than as a defender of the evil organisation that he represents.

For example when he was asked whether those responsible for the cover up should resign he couldn’t find it within himself to speak as an ordinary decent human. Instead he weakly mouthed that it was up to the bishops themselves.

A genuinely sympathetic human would instinctively know, and say, that those responsible for the horrific abuse of children should resign forthwith.

When asked on Prime Time how those who knew failed to act for so long he said:

Those who took those decisions knew what were crimes in Canon law and civil law and knew what was immoral and for some reason or other misread reality.

For some reason or other misread reality? Are these the words of a normal human being who fully understands the import of what has occurred – I don’t think so?

Abuse surviver Marie Collins, who rightly claims that the leadership of the Catholic Church is still the same, that nothing has changed, exposed Archbishop Martin’s dishonesty on Six One News (1st report 7th item).

The archbishop was asked if this could happen again and replied:

New norms are in place but they require that people really commit themselves. We have the possibility of the National Office and the HSE verifying any decisions I make. I’m pleased to have that double verification in place when I’m implementing the policies.

Marie Collins shot that down immediately:

The Vatican has not given recognition to the norms now in place which means they are not enforceable. This means there’s no sanction that can be taken against a bishop who decides not to follow the current norms.

Martin continued:

Anything I do can be examined by the national board and HSE and they can make matters public if I’m not carrying things out.

Again, Marie Collins exposed the lie.

The national board is not allowed to name a bishop or his diocese that are non compliant with the rules.

Archbishop Martin did not refute this claim but, characteristically, went on to talk about another matter.

This exchange tells us that the Catholic Church is still the same, still in denial, still refusing to put proper safeguards in place to protect children, still putting the interests of the church above everything.

It also tells us the State has learned nothing, that it has no problem in continuing to place the safety of children in the hands of a warped institution peopled by warped minds

Catholic Church child abuse report published

The report of the Commission of Investigation into the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin has been published.

Over the next week or so we will see the usual Catholic fundamentalists coming out from under their rocks to deny, excuse and justify the horror that their particular superstition spawns.

People like Breda O’Brien, Mary Kenny, John Waters and David Quinn will spout the usual nauseating defence which, predictably, will include the following:

It wasn’t just the church; the State was to blame too.
Only a small percentage of priests were guilty of abuse.
It was the culture of the time.
All of society is to blame.
The church didn’t realise that abuse of children was wrong.

How much more can this nation stand?

Letter in today’s Irish Times

Madam,

As if having to suffer the ever-deepening economic crisis, a Government that seems incapable of showing leadership, Nama, the dreadful weather, vision-seeing individuals and their gullible followers, swine flu, contaminated drinking water, a third-world healthcare system, deserted local Garda stations, no broadband, poor roads and an excuse of a public transport system (at least in my part of the country), were not bad enough, we now have to suffer the fast-spreading virus and witless awfulness of Jedward and the return of the Nolan Sisters to concert stages countrywide.

How much more can this nation stand?

Yours, etc,

PJ Curtis,

The Burren, Co Clare.

Nothing new in Ireland

Serious allegations of widespread fraud have emerged from within CIE. Three employees have been dismissed and there’s a vague reference about a report to the Gardai.

The FAS farce continues apace. We’re told there’s also a Garda investigation there but, please, don’t hold your breadth.

Dentists are under scrutiny over allegations that they made fraudulent claims under the publicly funded Dental Treatment Services Scheme. Here’s a mad prediction – no dentist will be found guilty, nothing will happen.

Fianna Fail backbenchers are up in arms over drink-drive levels even though the retention of the present level will result in at least ten additional deaths every year. When it comes to protecting their power base Irish politicians are completely ruthless.

Practically every financial institution in the country is regularly defrauding elderly citizens of their life savings. All the political parties, the Gardai and every so called regulatory agency in the country are fully aware of the situation but refuse to act.

Approximately 2,000 retired teachers, in receipt of generous state pensioners, are still working as substitute teachers. Around 1,500 of them are working in primary schools at a rate of €206 a day, while the remainder is earning €49.60 per hour in secondary schools.

Apparently, it’s all part of a wink, wink, nod, nod network. Meanwhile, thousands of young, newly qualified teachers are desperately searching for a start in their profession.

250,000 shoppers are now crossing the border into Northern Ireland to do their shopping costing traders in the republic up to €800 million in lost revenue.

Even when factors like the VAT rate are taken into account there still remains the unique Irish rip off (theft) factor.

It seems that no matter how bad things get Irish businesses are incapable of weaning themselves off this long established tradition.

Here’s just one small example. I went into a Dublin café recently for a cup of coffee and a cake. The (very small) cakes were €2.80 to eat on the premises and €2.50 to take away – yes, take away cakes from a café.

Not surprisingly, the café was empty with the (soon to be redundant?) staff twiddling their thumbs.

The tsunami is about to strike

Last October, in a piece about the deepening financial crisis, I wrote.

We’re in a moment just like that before a tsunami strikes. The sea is sucked out a great distance from the shore and people, in their ignorance and excitement, rush out to stare at beached fish flapping about. There’s absolutely no realisation of what’s just beyond the horizon.

That realisation is just now beginning to take hold on the general population as they look up in horror to see the gigantic wave about to engulf them, a wave that’s going to destroy all their hopes and dreams, a wave that’s going to send the Irish economy back to the dark, depressing days of the 1930s/1940s.

The fear can be gauged from reading Letters to the Editor, listening to radio talk shows and in particular from watching RTEs Frontline current affairs programme.

The Government, well aware of the looming disaster, was not idle during the past year.

The interests of bankers and property developers have been secured to the greatest degree possible to ensure they will survive the coming tsunami.

Judges, politicians, higher civil servants and other friends of the elite have all been allowed to decide for themselves what to contribute and what to keep in order to protect themselves and their families against the coming disaster.

EU bureaucrats are happy with the Government’s job of frightening Irish citizens into voting Yes thus keeping the European project on (their) track.

With all special interests secured the Government has turned its attention to ordinary citizens and, finally, told them the truth.

In the last week senior politicians, higher civil servants and representatives of the business elite have been wheeled out to warn citizens that they must be prepared to make major sacrifices in order to save the country.

The ruling elite are hoping that ordinary citizens will remain docile while willingly surrendering everything they have; they’re hoping that the sacrifices of the people will be enough to absorb the shock of what’s to come.

They’re hoping that when the tsunami has passed they can return from the safety of the government provided high ground and, after burying the dead, exploit the survivors. In other words, they’re hoping to return to the same corrupt system that’s responsible for the catastrophe.

I believe their hopes are in vain because ordinary citizens have virtually nothing left to give. The crisis is so massive, so overwhelming, that it cannot be avoided. Neither can it be resolved by the present cabal of corrupt and incompetent politicians.

Countless thousands are going to lose everything. The Government will not succeed in resolving the crisis; they simply do not have the experience, vision or intelligence to deal with such a massive crisis.

The country’s economy will end up administrated by the IMF and/EU bureaucrats, we will, effectively, lose our sovereignty. There will be no return to normality in the short or even the medium term. Ireland is looking down the dark tunnel of a prolonged and dangerous depression where it’s every man for himself.

The best Irish citizens can hope for is that the coming tsunami, as it destroys all their wealth and dreams, also sweeps away the entire rotten system and all those who support and defend it.

Abolish the Senate

Letter in today’s Irish Times.

Madam,

Enda Kenny is correct to call for the abolition of Seanad Éireann.

This expensive but totally irrelevant institution cut its work week by 50 per cent this week, from three to 1½ days, because a mere seven of its 60 members are attending the British/Irish Parliamentary Assembly in Swansea.

A referendum on the matter cannot come soon enough.

Yours, etc,

Anthony Sheridan

Seanad Eireann: a typical banana republic institution

My respect for Senator David Norris has taken a serious dent in recent times as I listen to his pathetic defence of that useless institution Seanad Eireann.

On other matters like gay rights, nuclear disarmament or the environment Norris is articulate and passionate but when comes to reform of the most exclusive and elitist club in the country he invariably waffles on about reform in the same manner as the rest of the cabal of political vultures

Reform, like the Senate itself, is now nothing but a sick joke. There have been at least 12 reports over the years recommending reform and nothing has been done. Every time defenders of this useless institution mouth the word ‘reform’ they are insulting the intelligence of Irish citizens.

On his radio show yesterday (Monday) Pat Kenny asked Fine Gael Senator Liam Twomey why the Senate was only sitting for a day and a half this week. The Senator waffled but didn’t answer the question and Kenny didn’t insist on an answer.

I rang Seanad Eireann and after the usual run around from Billy to Jack was eventually informed that the 60 member Senate was closed because seven of its members were attending the British/Irish Parliamentary Assembly in Swansea.

It should also be kept in mind that the election for this particular Senate was illegally fixed in true banana republic style.

Copy to:
Senator Norris

Mary Harney saves the nation

The crisis is over, the nation is saved, John O’Donoghue, get back in your limousine, Rody Molloy, all is forgiven.

Mary Harney announced to the nation today that in the interests of reviving the economy she had cancelled her attendance at two conferences.

And to think there are cynics out there who question the courage, vision and integrity of our political leaders – shame on them.