The Irish Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse A small selection of extracts from the official report. The official report is in five main volumes with a large number of files covering various homes and institutions. Some of the actual stories detailing the physical, sexual and emotional abuse of boys and girls will be found in files devoted to those topics - especially VOLUME 3: Topics 6 to 9. Here are a few items selected to illustrate the flavour of the report. For the full report go to: http://www.childabusecommission.ie/.  'Sexual abuse was a recurring problem for the managers of Upton and Ferryhouse [an industrial schools operated by the Rosminian Order] and for their Provincial. On the basis of these records and the other confirmed cases, it is apparent that there was a sexual abuser present in each of the institutions for much of the period being inquired into, and there were multiple abusers present for significant periods of time. Fr O'Reilly again acknowledged on behalf of the Order that the use of corporal punishment had led to physical abuse at the school.' 'The official instrument used to administer corporal punishment was the leather strap. There were two kinds: one was a single piece of leather 0.63 cm thick. It was about 48 cm long, and 6.3 cm wide, with one end shaped to form a handle. It was used to slap the palm of the hand. It weighed 147 grams. The second was a leather "doubler". It was made in the shoemaker's shop from two layers of leather approx. 6.3 cm wide and 55.8 cm long. The two strips were sewn together and, again, one end was shaped to form a handle. Br. Antonio, who worked in Ferryhouse, confirmed that coins were sometimes inserted between the two layers of leather when this strap was being constructed.' '[At the Christian Brothers' School, Lettertrack, County Galway] physical punishment was severe, excessive and pervasive and by being administered in public or within earshot of other children it was used as a means of engendering fear and ensuring control. Sexual abuse was a chronic problem . . . Two abusers were present for periods of 14 years each and the Congregation could offer no explanation as to how these Brothers could have remained in the school for so long undetected and unreported. [Abuse at schools for boys] 'The Committee heard evidence from 78 witnesses in relation to 13 Schools that they were stripped, and severely beaten. Forty seven (47) of those witnesses from nine Schools reported being beaten in public. These beatings were most commonly reported to have been with a leather strap, sometimes a cane, and administered by more than one staff member on the naked back and buttocks. The beatings were described as ‘fiercely brutal’ and ‘unmerciful’ and were frequently referred to as floggings, and were associated with particular staff members. Eleven (11) witnesses from one School reported being beaten naked. In another School, 14 witnesses reported being flogged, 12 of whom were naked or partially clothed. Twelve (12) witnesses from two other Schools gave accounts of being beaten naked themselves or witnessing co-residents being severely beaten while naked. 'A high level of physical abuse was perpetrated by Religious [nuns] and lay staff in Goldenbridge [an Industrial School located in Inchicore, in Dublin]. The method of inflicting punishments and the implements used were cruel and excessive and physical punishment was an immediate response to even minor infractions. Children were in constant fear of beatings and in many cases were beaten for no apparent reason. A feature of this school was a rosary bead industry which was operated from the school. The industry was conducted in a way that imposed impossible standards on children and caused great suffering to many of them.' 'Sister beat him with an ordinary, classroom cane, but it was much worse than punishment in school:  It was a cane. About two or three feet long, made of bamboo, with a kind of bend on it like that (indicating) ... they used to use them in the classroom for striking the boards or tables or hitting somebody. But when you have a naked child and you stand back at two or three feet and let fly as an adult the cane doesn’t stop when it hits the flesh, it cuts, you know.' 'Witnesses described trying to stay awake so as not to wet their bed. The rules in some dormitories were said to preclude getting out of bed at night. In other Schools witnesses reported being reluctant to go to the toilet during the night for fear of being followed and abused by the night watchman or older co-residents. There were 43 witness reports of being beaten and sexually abused by night watchmen and older co-residents in this context. Cold showers and baths were described as a punishment for bed-wetting in the latter decades, with six such witness accounts from three Schools in the 1970s and 1980s.' 'Chapter 14 look at the career of a serial sexual and physical abuser, given the name of Mr John Brander, who taught children in the primary and secondary school sector in Ireland for 40 years. He was eventually convicted of sexual abuse in the 1980s. He began his career as a Christian Brother and after three separate incidents of sexual abuse of boys, he was granted dispensation from his vows. The chapter goes on to describe the man's progress through six different schools where he physically terrorized and sexually abused children in his classroom. At various times during his career, parents attempted to challenge his behaviour but he was persistently protected by diocesan and school authorities and moved from school to school.' 'The physical abuse of boys in Daingean [a state reformatory but for most the period under review managed by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate] was extreme. Floggings which were ritualized beatings should not have been tolerated in any institution and they were inflicted for even minor transgressions.' 'By their fruits ye shall know them' - Matthew 7: 20 Blasphemers invade Ireland . . . www.piperpost.net - 10.01.10. Ireland, once a jewel of Catholicism, has recently exposed the dirty deeds of its priests and nuns to the world. Now the country is evidently trying to compensate in some perverse way by enacting pernicious legislation that punishes its citizens for the absurd 'crime' of blasphemy. The law took effect on New Year's Day, and punishes those who utter or print statements deemed 'grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion, thereby causing outrage among a substantial number of the adherents to that religion. Fines of up to euro 25,000 (approx. $US38,500) are prescribed for offenders, i.e. anyone who dares exercise free speech in a manner that 'offends' the religious. As I have written before - blasphemy is one of the chief weapons in the armory of the priesthood, designed to stifle free inquiry. And made all the more absurd by the fact that in various parts of the world different sets of blasphemy laws exist, each asserting that one particular deity is the object in question - yet these deities are rivals!  The whole notion of 'blasphemy' turns on the proposition that there is something or someone, i.e. a deity, to be insulted. As no such beings exist blasphemy is a fictitious crime. Let those who enact such a law bring forth their proof that God exists. But the Atheists of Ireland are not resting on their laurels. They are deliberately flouting this stupid law by issuing blasphemous statement. Their website with 25 such statement will be found here: http://www.atheist.ie/2010/01/25-blasphemous-quotations/ The Irish move highlights an alarming situation that is developing worldwide where religions, no longer able to defend their absurd and naive superstitions through logical argument and reasoned debate are working to have laws enacted to stifle critics such as this paper. Some religions are attempting to use the United Nations to have an international law enacted that would outlaw universally what is broadly termed 'blasphemy'. Islamics are at the forefront of this push to stifle free speech. A draft amendment introduced by Pakistan would mandate 'legal prohibition of publication of material that negatively stereotypes, insults, or uses offensive language' to describe any religious believers, creeds and groups. One of the prime movers in this plan is the OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference) which embraces 57 member states, many of which are undemocratic in nature. Irish Church abuse repercussions . . . www.piperpost.net - 13.12.09. A second major report on child abuse in Ireland has now been released. The first report deal with abuse in institutions while the second report looks into the parochial situation. A Government commission only investigated and reported on Dublin Archdiocese but what was revealed has been alarming. Among the findings it is alleged that not only did hundreds of Catholic priest conspire to cover-up sex abuse in the Church but even three bishops and a cardinal were involved in this dereliction of duty. The report found that the Irish police service treated the priesthood as being beyond the law. 'Don't ask, don't tell' seemed to be the order of the day. The avoidance of any scandal and the preservation of the good name of the Church and its priests dominated the situation. The state of the children was barely considered. The investigation revealed that the first details of allegations were shown to Cardinal Desmond Connell 14 years earlier, when he was an archbishop. He was shown to have complaints against 28 priests in his files at the time. In several cases where priests were accused of just one crime, they admitted to multiple abuses. One priest admitted fortnightly attacks on a child during his 25-year tenure of a parish. Another admitted abuse of more than 100 children. And in another case two priests had abused the same child. At a news conference following the publication of the report, the current Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, said he was shamed by its findings and offered an apology to survivors.The Irish Justice Minister, Dermot Ahern, said he read the report as a politician: 'But on a human level - as a father and as a member of this community - I felt a growing sense of revulsion and anger at the horrible, evil acts committed against children.' Irish women go to court for abortion rights . . . www.piperpost.net - 13.12.09. Three women have taken their case against Ireland's restrictive abortion laws to the European Court of Human Rights A statement made to the court said: 'All three women complain that the impossibility for them to have an abortion in Ireland made the procedure unnecessarily expensive, complicated and traumatic.' In particular, that restriction stigmatised and humiliated them and risked damaging their health and, in the third applicant's case, even her life. In 1983 the Irish Constitution was amended to state that unborn children have the right to life from the moment of conception. According to the Irish Family Planning Association over 136,000 Irish women have travelled to England and Wales in order to have abortions in the last 30 years. All three women travelled to Britain to have abortions, with one even taking money from a money lender in order to fund her trip and abortion. The Irish government has engaged two constitutional lawyers to argue its case that the country has a sovereign right to protect the life of the unborn. Thousands in Irish protest marches . . . www.piperpost.net - 21.06.09. Earlier this month thousands of Irish people marched through Dublin's streets to protest the abuse of children by the Catholic Church. The widespread physical, sexual and emotional abuse in institutions over many years was revealed in an official report released recently (see earlier issue of Piper Post). The march was organized by the Survivors of Institutional Abuse Ireland. Marchers wore white ribbons and left children's shoes outside the Irish parliament, symbolic of the shattered lives of children. Ireland's Catholic bishops, meeting for their summer conference, commented on the march, asking for forgiveness, saying: 'We are ashamed, humbled and repentant that our people strayed so far from their Christian ideals.' A further report, this time dealing with abuse by parish clergy, is to be issued later in the year. FOOTNOTE: Sexual abuse of children is not the only 'sin' of the clergy. It is alleged that at least 500 women in Ireland are currently conducting clandestine affairs with Catholic priests - according to support groups for those in 'forbidden relatonships'. Bishop Pat Buckley says a conservative estimate was that one in 10 of the 5000 priests enjoyed regular sex with women and some even referred to their clerical collar as the 'bird catcher'. Studies showed that 80 percent of clergy had broken their vows of celibacy. Including practising homosexuals, Bishop Buckley said up to 40 percent of the Catholic clergy of Ireland were sexually active. EDITORIAL Those who looked the other way . . . www.piperpost.net - 31.05.09. The latest revelations about child abuse in the Irish Catholic Church (see last issue) highlight yet again the failure of the Church hierarchy to act properly in dealing with abusing priests. The abuse of children is a terrible evil but almost as bad is the failure of those who hid the abuse. A classic example of this dereliction of duty is the story of Father Charles Henry Sylvestre, who in the 1950s, when he was around the age of 30, sexually abused schoolgirls in the Mount Saint Joseph School in London (Ontario), Canada in the 1950s. Sylvestre targeted girls between the ages of 9 and 14 years, forever seeking opportunities to get them alone (a grotto in the school grounds was one excellent place for a molester to carry on his nefarious activities). So frequent were the priest's assaults that the girls had a nickname for him - Father Feeler. But when one small girl complained to a female teacher no action was taken. Instead, the girl was punished by being locked in a closet all day, every day, for two weeks. This reaction was typical of so many in authority in the Church - teachers, monsignors, bishops - and, alas, all too many parents. The priest could do no wrong! Eventually the mutterings about the Father's activities were sufficient to spark a little action - but not condemnation of the priest, instead the typical reaction - a convenient move to a new area.  Over many years Sylvestre kept getting moved from one parish to another - Sarnia, Chatham, Windsor, Pain Court. Behind him was an ever-growing trail of small girls suffering abuse that in many cases would forever blight their lives. When the law finally caught up with this gross abuser he faced 47 counts of indecent assault. Girls told of being 'felt up', or their breasts being fondled, or being ordered to fondle the priest, of being digitally penetrated, and even, in a couple of cases, of suffering actual rape. The case turned out to be one of the largest ever abuse cases involving a priest. Unfortunately, due to the offender being overtaken by senility it was decided the best plan for all concerned was to accept a plea bargain and he was jailed for three years. He died in prison three months later. Following the trial Bishop Ronald Fabbro of the Diocese of London issued a statement in which he 'expressed his regret' for the Reverend Charles Sylvestre's abuse. But, we ask, why wasn't Sylvestre reported to authorities instead of being shunted around to do yet more damage? This is the story told over and over again in all the areas where Catholic priests were involved in abuse. And, we should ask, why haven't authorities brought to book those who covered up these appalling crimes? Footnote: There is a report that the U.S. attorney has launched a grand jury investigation into the actions of Cardinal Roger M. Mahoney over his handling of abusing priests in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. An excellent site with much useful information: http://www.bishop-accountability.org/ Lid officially lifted on Irish Church abuse . . . www.piperpost.net - 24.05.09. The first of two major reports into the abuse of children by members of the Catholic Church in Ireland has just been published. The situation in state schools and orphanages since the 1940s was examined by the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse. Children, especially boys, were not only subjected to sexual and emotional abuse but often suffered sadistic physical abuse as well. Screams in the night testified to inhuman punishments being meted out at the whim of a priest or nun. The boys and girls were helpless to defend themselves against such assaults. They had no one to whom to turn. They were completely in the control of the clerics. A second report, due to be issued soon, reports on investigations into the handling of sex abuse complaints involving up to 500 priests in the Dublin region between 1975 and 2004. One shameful aspect of the abuse was the way the Church, rather than confront the problem, shifted offending priests from one parish to another. Andrew Madden, the first victim of a pedophile priest to come forward, complains: 'It is 14 years since I first went public about this practice the Catholic Church had of moving priests with a record of child abuse on to another parish which would give them further access to children.' Some extracts from the Report HERE An old postcard depicting the clergy's fondness for beating.

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