The news itself was not new. But its horrific nature woke Irish society from its autumnal slumber. An investigation into just one diocese in the south of Ireland disclosed over 40 years of clerical child abuse, which claimed over 100 victims. 21 priests were implicated in sexual abuse of children in their care. Another five cases did not figure in the inquiry because their late inclusion prevented in depth scrutiny. The Ferns Report, named after the diocese, ran 271 pages long, detailing the extent of sexual cruelty and exploitation suffered by children between 1962 and 2002. It also reveals the nature of the cover-up by the bishops and the sometimes cavalier approach of both the police force and the region's health authorities.
Though clerical child abuse was common knowledge (priests had previously been convicted in court), the Ferns Report had the effect of a bombshell because of the high number of priests accused. The inquiry shows that up to 10% of the clergy in the diocese had behaved inappropriately towards children. Furthermore, the report details the sadistic and degrading acts committed against children aged between six and 16. And when the bishops became aware of the allegations, they stood idly by. At best, they transferred the priests to other ministries, but some of them were allowed to return without any assessment into whether their behaviour had changed.
The inquiry was set up by the department of Health in 2002 after a BBC documentary, Suing the Pope, was aired. Victims of clerical abuse testified in front of the cameras, raising serious questions about the then Bishop of Ferns, Brendan Comiskey. His failure to take appropriate steps to protect children within his diocese was becoming clear. Earlier in 1999, a newspaper article had already detailed the extent of child abuse by Father Sean Fortune, one of the most sadistic priests in Ferns. During that year, he committed suicide while the courts were investigating a case of child sex abuse against him. As the situation unravelled, the government had no choice but to set up a detailed inquiry.
However, the buck did not stop at Ferns. When the dean of the Catholic teaching university expressed his concerns about allegations of sex abuse to his superiors, their response was to sack him. In effect, the Catholic church had created a complex system of barriers and levees to stop the allegations of child abuse getting into the public domain. Avoiding scandal was deemed more important than the protection of children. And this was the attitude right through to the highest level. In 1962, Pope John XXIII, in a document revealed by the Ferns Report, ordered Church officials to keep all matters relating to clerical child abuse secret. Breaking the oath of secrecy would result in the ultimate punishment: excommunication. At the core of the Church's concern was its grasp on power.
Since the establishment of the Irish Republic in 1922, the Catholic Church has occupied a special position in the country. Its doctrines even shaped the Constitution. Women's lives were seen as important as that of the unborn child, thus denying them control over reproduction. The family was envisioned as the mainstay of society, requiring constitutional protection. The Church became the guardian of moral values similar to the role of Islam in modern day Iran. Basically, Ireland was a fundamentalist state. All through the 20th century, it sought to keep a tight lid on the mores of society. While the sixties brought the sexual revolution to Europe, Ireland, plagued by poverty, emigration and held back by the rule of Catholicism, eyed hedonism with suspicion. Mass attendance remained high, while Europe turned to secularism and morality was left to the better judgement of the Church.
However, the grip on power began to loosen at the beginning of the nineties. Like a kite that in a gust of wind breaks from its anchor and flies aimlessly into the air, such was the path that the Church's demise took. One scandal after another chipped at its foundations, to leave it despairingly weakened. Since it was revealed that a priest had fathered a child who was living in the US, the downward spiral has become steeper and steeper. The priest in question, Eamon Casey, had entertained a high profile ever since he welcomed the Pope. Once the existence of his son was proved, people started losing faith in the authority of the Church, and simultaneously, its grip on Irish society relaxed. It was now possible to criticise the clergy. Subsequently, accusations of sexual abuse came thick and fast from all the dioceses.
From then on, the Church was under fire. It started to take out insurance to meet the costs of compensation claims. The best lawyers were hired to negotiate a final settlement over child abuse in public educational institutions. The bill is estimated to reach 1 billion. Following the Ferns Report, the government has hinted that it intends to introduce new legislation to protect children. And this is particularly interesting for Mauritius, where we have had a few high profile cases of paedophilia. It has transpired that a bill is to be introduced in Parliament that will make failure for anyone to protect a child a criminal offence. Though it will certainly not be the panacea, it will definitely enhance child protection laws.
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