Liturgy of Lament and Repentance

November 27 2009

'All I got was lies and deceit, I was bullied and threatened'

If only they had stopped him then.
But I was surprised to find out how much was known about my abuser.
The auxiliary bishop at the time wanted him reported to gardai because he considered child sexual abuse one of the worst crimes a priest could commit. John Charles McQuaid overruled him.
I was staggered that the church hierarchy knew so much. And that here was an opportunity within a year or two of my abuse in 1960 to have reported him to the gardai.
We know that others were abused in the years afterwards and it is just appalling to me that a known abuser was allowed to continue.
I am horrified by the fact that the gardai knew about it at the time and did nothing.
In fact, the gardai took the case to Archbishop McQuaid instead of dealing with it themselves. They abdicated their responsibilities, handing it back to the Church to deal with it.
Why?
I am disgusted to think that someone else could have been spared abuse at the hands of my abuser.
That the gardai did nothing at the time about it; that the archbishop did nothing about it and when he (McQuaid) did nothing -- the gardai did not follow it up.
It was all brushed under the carpet and my abuser left free to go on abusing children in the future. I was so naive when I reported my abuse to the diocese in 1995. I thought at the time this concern about whether I should proceed with my complaint was kindness on their part -- that they were worried about me.
But as I began dealing with the gardai, with the support of my husband Ray and son Peter to whom I am eternally grateful, all I got was lies and deceit from the archdiocese.
Danger
I was bullied and threatened.
Their legalistic approach was devoid of humanity. Morality and justice didn't come into it.
All that simply because I wanted a man, who I knew was a danger to children, to be taken out of contact with them. I didn't care if he went to jail or got a long or a short sentence.
I could not believe that the men at the very top of the diocese were fighting me and looking on me as the enemy. I had to go public because, if children were to be safe, other people had to know what the reality was.
How could they sleep at night knowing they left so many abusers on the loose?
It was like putting a wolf into a chicken coop.
I would like the men at the top who did all of this covering up to actually come out and speak for themselves.
They committed, in my view, equally criminal acts by protecting the abusers.
They knew what these men were doing and, as the insurance policy shows, they knew what child abuse was.
There is no escape for them now.

- Marie Collins

Irish Independent

Marie Collins was abused by a cleric identified as Fr Edmondus in the report.

20/02/2011

Answers to some questions posed by contributors yesterday.

The liturgy was not set up as a stunt by the Pope or the diocese etc…. This liturgy was prepared by a survivor in 2009 was seen by a number of prominent survivors and survivor groups in Dublin 2009/2010. Their comments and suggestions on the wording etc… were incorporated, changes made etc…. The washing of the feet was in the liturgy at this time it was not suggested or imposed by any representative of the Diocese. Eventually after many drafts the liturgy was shown to the Diocese and then left with them. Today it went forward with the wording as written predominantly by survivors unchanged.

As to who was involved in the feet washing today. Far from there being no women there were in fact five women and three men. Among the women were one survivor of residential abuse, two survivors of abuse by diocesan priests, one mother of a survivor, one spouse of a survivor. There were two male survivors of abuse by diocesans priests and one male institutional abuse survivor. They were of various ages. The majority of those taking part have campaigned for justice for the abused and were not “passive” survivors as suggested by one contributor here.

There were a number of times during the afternoon when those who wished to protest came up on the altar and spoke. What they had to say was powerful and was heard. When they had finished speaking they each received an enthusiastic round of applause from the congregation.

I took part today and I do not regret doing so. My abuser did not take my Christian belief from me and the Catholic Church did not take my Christian belief from me. As a Christian if someone asks my forgivness I do not turn my back. If they are not sincere then that is something they must live with. Today the Archbishop asked forgivness of survivors for the way the Catholic Church has hurt and damaged those abused as children (the wording was more extensive than this). He asked forgiveness for how bishops, religious leaders etc.. covered up abuse and by so doing caused further children to be abused etc….. none of what he said was glib or evasive.

None of this has to mean a single thing to any survivor.None of this has anything to do with the justice which so many are still seeking. Everyone is free to see all this as a charade or a stunt or anything else they wish. But for those survivors to whom it did mean something it is not fair that they should be vilified by fellow survivors.