One of the greatest scandals facing the Christian churches in recent times has been institutional child abuse. There is even a movie on the child abuse in Boston in the USA. Cardinal Bernard Law, under whose reign so many children were abused, was whisked away to The Vatican. It has been suggested that Cardinal Law spends his time shopping and doing afternoon teas.
Here in Ballarat where I live, numerous cases of child abuse have at last come into the cold light of date. Across Australia, case after case; church after church has been uncovered - even by clergymen long since dead. Cases are still coming to light. One of the most senior cardinals in this country was given a job in The Vatican. In the line of Vatican administration, he was No. 3. That Cardinal has now been brought back to Australia from The Vatican and his case is now before the courts. Because of this, I am limited in what I can say. The newspaper I would suggest you stay in touch with is The Age.
Perhaps the saddest things from all this are the deaths, the sufferings, the lives ruined. Clocks can't be turned back. Many of the perpetrators are dead. The graves won't give them back to face retribution.
Relevant books:
Wikipedia entry:
Please note: The abuse of children is not confined to the Catholic Church. Many other Christian denominations are involved. Many other institutions and religions are involved. The abuse was not only perpetrated by priests but also by brothers. The writer also knows of one case of sexual abuse that was carried out by a nun in an orphanage. The writer wonders how it is possible to discern perpetrators. She thinks of one Catholic priest known to her and her extended family and was involved in celebratory events. One night he was spirited away from his parish. He stood trial. Who would have thought?
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