Little children were neglected to uphold the Church's name

Irish Independent
By Michael O'Brien
Monday November 23 2009
It was a cover-up, plain and simple.
Although we don't know exactly what the report has said because we are still waiting for it to be published in its entirety, all indications are that successive archbishops knew about the abuse.

And not only were they aware of it, they knew the extent of it.

They knew which priests were involved, the parishes they served in, and the children who they took advantage of in the most horrific way.

And then they did the only thing which was worse than ignoring it -- they tried to cover it up.

Instead of protecting the children, they tried to protect the Church's good name.

This is despite the fact that these people -- people we looked up to -- were passing on child after child to each other to be abused.

It is time for the Church and State to carry out an investigation in every diocese across the country. If it was being covered up in one diocese, we can be sure it was happening in every other one.

The question is, how can we save vulnerable children from being abused if it is continuously being swept under the carpet?

No young girl should be allowed to be raped, or young boy buggered, because someone in authority doesn't want the truth to be revealed.

Now that this report will be out in the public domain and people realise the full extent of what was going on, we can hope that something is going to happen, something will change.

But even now things are too slow.

Last May a group of victims, including myself, met with the Taoiseach, Brian Cowen. We wanted him to go to the religious orders, to talk to them on our behalf. But we haven't heard a single word since.

We're also waiting to hear back from the bishops about a committee they've set up to meet with victims and their support groups.

Justice
We want them to subscribe to the redress of all people who have been abused in institutions but we're still being kept away.

The fact of the matter is that even now a child could go into a home at the age of six and be there until they're 16.

But if you commit a crime, a stabbing, or sell drugs, you could be out in six years or even six months. Where's the justice in that?

Right now we have Archbishop Diarmuid Martin at the helm and he seems to be the first one to have grasped things by the mettle and to have done a good job.

But it's time that happened all over Ireland, in every diocese and every parish. As an abuse victim my heart goes out to all those who have been abused and who are reading now that this was covered up by so many for so long.

I can't ask them to get over it but I'm with them in spirit. There should be no more talk of indemnity -- we must never hear that word again. And we must collectively say: Never again on our watch.

Michael O'Brien is a survivor of clerical abuse and a member of the group Right to Peace.
- Michael O'Brien