It seems there is no end to the cases where children were abused in Irish schools by teaching clergy. Latest figures list 64 allegations at Belvedere College, 89 at Terenure College, 60 at Rockwell College, and on and on. Allegations against Jesuits, Carmelites, Spiritans (formerly Holy Ghost Fathers) and more.
I believe it’s important we distinguish between two things: (i) physical abuse and sexual abuse; (ii) allegations and convicted cases.
It’s a fair bet that many of the allegations will be found accurate in court, and it’s also a fair bet that many of the sexual abuse cases will be found to have in fact happened.
Like most people, I find myself reacting to these figures with a mixture of bafflement, anger and concern. How could so many of the clergy in Ireland have committed such acts? These were people who publicly presented themselves as dedicated to promoting Christian lives, yet privately engaged in actions most of us would rather not think about.
That said, I’d call for greater clarity between allegation and conviction. You might allege that I set fire to your house; that means nothing until you have succeeded in proving that I did so. In the case of abuse, there is a particular danger that when an allegation is made, it sticks to the person. Guilty or not, they have the label of abuser permanently fixed to them.No smoke without fire, etc.
For six years I was a boarder in a Catholic school – St Columb’s College in Derry. While there, I was abused by lay teachers and clergy – particularly clergy. But – and this is the point I made above – I was abused physically. So were hundreds of other boys. Practically every teacher carried a strap, and some used it with real energy. In contrast, some teachers, lay and priests, never used physical punishment (and, I’ll wager, got better results from their pupils). Those who used the strap had little compunction about using their hands as well to slap boys in the face, or lift them from their desk by tugging on their ear or sideburn. I was unfortunate enough to sit beside a radiator in Irish class, and I still remember the priest grabbing my hair (yes, Virginia, I did have hair back then) and shaking my head from side to side, sometimes allowing it to collide with the radiator. I can think of at least one priest who absolutely terrified everyone. Dependent on his mood, he could be reasonable and even witty, or he could spend the class using his strap when we didn’t have the answer to almost impossible-to-answer questions. In later years, it emerged he had a drink problem.
Finally and maybe most interestingly of all, some fifteen years ago I produced a book of interviews with boys who were my year in St Columb’s. I asked them about physical abuse: just about all had tales of wallopings. The odd thing was, none of them appeared to hold a grudge against their assailant; at worst they dismissed them as head-cases. Most interestingly of all, when asked, not a single one made reference to sexual abuse
Go figger.
Teachers were given a free hand back in those days, I went to a thoroughly decent Catholic Secondary school for a year and a half (that’s a different story) where every teacher had their own individual strap, which they used liberally. Protestant friends told me the same thing happened at their school. When I moved to the Grammar I was shocked to find they didn’t really use physical punishment. The headmaster had a cane but teachers were more likely to dish out lines or detention which was actually worse! I have often wondered about companies that produced those straps, how were they marketed? Did they have to be a certain size, certain weight? Looking back on it now I don’t THINK any of my teachers were getting their rocks off but I can’t be sure. My cousins went to Saint Columb’s and some of the stories they told would curl your toes. Brutality. Yet they never mentioned any form of sexual deviancy. I think corporal punishment should never be allowed to tear it’s ugly head. Abuse has to be rife in that system, English public schools are riddled with it as are all religious groups. There has been an undue focus on Catholic schools because of the anti Catholic nature of some of the reporting. But it exists in all groups.
I think you’re right, AJ. To the best of my knowledge the level of child sexual abuse among Catholic clergy is pretty much the same as in every other male group in society.
Hi Jude. Were you not following the widely reported stories by one Derry pupil who went public about the Irish teacher abusing him and the other pupil who backed him up pubicly. How did you miss this? It was common knowledge in the school when I was there to avoid him. He even frequented the pupils toilets. The staff and President knew. I think on this subject your devotion to your religion has clouded your judgment severely. One teacher told me he walked out at the annual old boys event in protest when he was given an award. The scales need to fall from your eyes
Every religious group has the same level of abuse within it’s ranks, that is a fact. Someone who suffered abuse at the hands of a Priest is fully entitled to bear a grudge against that Church. What he can’t do is try to skew the facts.