Zero Tolerance of Abuse(Cont’d) by Joe McVeigh

I am so glad I went public on the personal abuse I received last week from a man in the parish. I have received a good deal of positive feedback. It has given me the strength to refuse to accept any kind of abuse in the future. I refuse to be part of any kind of negativity from whatever source, especially from those who purport to be ‘devout Catholics’. I will be watching out for them from now on.

As for ‘the Billy boys,  their days of dishing out abuse are also coming to an end.

I have put up with enough personal abuse –verbal and written- during my 46 years as a priest. I could paper the wall with abusive letters, mostly anonymous. This abuse has come from political enemies and religious opponents from within the Catholic Church and without.

From now on I intend to name and shame anyone who thinks they can abuse me and get away with it. Enough is enough. I want to show that I have more respect for myself than to allow these arrogant mouthpieces to say or write what they like when and where they like.

In the past there was little I could do about it. In the past I was called all kinds of names in the media. I was accused of being ‘an apologist’ for this and ‘an apologist’ for that -without any evidence.  I was at the receiving end of all kinds of untruthful allegations. And most recently, I was subjected to vile abuse from a businessman who phoned and asked to see me confidentially.  I thought he was seeking help. Instead he came along to abuse me and accuse me of being ‘an apologist for Gerry Adams’!  I decided then that enough was enough. I wrote about it and put it on the blog site. So I now know there is something I can do about it and that is very satisfying.