The recent publication of the Ryan report on child abuse has revealed a side to Ireland that makes me ashamed to hold an Irish passport.
The following clip from an Irish current affairs show is very disturbing and shows a very brave abuse victim going into some detail of what he went through.
To whoever put this up on Youtube – thank you!
I’ve been forwarding this video onto friends in the UK and abroad so they can get some idea of just how much trouble the religious orders are in – and rightly so.
Thousands of children were abused – physically, psychologically, and sexually. Any form of abuse is a crime and should be dealt with in the appropriate way. If you or I abused anyone in the ways in which the paedo abusers did, we’d be arrested, locked up, and the key would be thrown away for a long time. Anyone involved in helping us cover up our actions would be taken to account too. However if you’re a priest or can hide behind a religion, a blind eye is turned.
The Gardai need to act upon the report, and find out the names of the abusers involved. Religious orders need to themeselves be sued by those who were abused. With any luck, the whole lot will be gone forever.
No wonder so many people have absolutely no faith in the church anymore. The very people who were meant to be ‘teaching’ us about ‘moral values’ in the light of day, were dragging poor children out of their beds late at night and abusing them. It’s shocking to think that some of these abusers could be still teaching today, or giving sermons to congregations.
Hugh
How a government could agree to give them all a nice big “get out of jail free card” is beyond me.
I was sickened before I saw that video this morning. Then I was repulsed.
I got home this evening and the first thing I did was to watch the full programme via the RTE player – it’s a pity that the rest of the world can’t view it legally, because it is a damning reflection on this country.
Michele
This may be one of the most important clips ever broadcast on this issue. It rips you to the very core and yet you feel a tremendous amount of respect for Mr. O’Brien’s dignity and clarity as he describes his horrific experience. It’s powerful beyond comment. And that, coupled with the stupified faces of the panel says it all.
Mr O’Brien is an amazing man. How he managed to remain calm and controlled is beyond me.
The most revolting thing about this earlier was listening to muppet politicians – from every party, and even independents – trying to use the issue to points score politically.
We should all hang our heads in shame really. I country is made up of the people that live in it, and like it or not we all had some sort of idea something was going on for a long time. But we, and our parents and grandparents, chose to sweep it under the carpet.
Hugh
Irish politicians as a rule don’t know when to keep their mouths shut.
Michele