Comments on: Child Abuse, the State & the Catholic Church in Ireland http://www.steger-lewis.net/al/2009/05/child-abuse-the-state-the-catholic-church-in-ireland/ From Currane, Achill, Mayo on the west coast of Ireland: Al's musings and rants about everything and nothing Mon, 03 Oct 2011 10:27:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Al http://www.steger-lewis.net/al/2009/05/child-abuse-the-state-the-catholic-church-in-ireland/comment-page-1/#comment-31 Al Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:55:03 +0000 http://www.steger-lewis.net/al/?p=368#comment-31 Absolutely right. I think the Church still don't understand their collective guilt and responsibility for what happened. Absolutely right. I think the Church still don’t understand their collective guilt and responsibility for what happened.

]]> By: Profoundly Superficial http://www.steger-lewis.net/al/2009/05/child-abuse-the-state-the-catholic-church-in-ireland/comment-page-1/#comment-30 Profoundly Superficial Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:08:59 +0000 http://www.steger-lewis.net/al/?p=368#comment-30 What worried me was some bigwig cardinal who started wittering on about the courage of the clergy in facing up to the accusations of abuse. Wrong emphasis! He should have commended the courage of the VICTIMS in coming forward and daring to take on the might of the Catholic Church!!! What worried me was some bigwig cardinal who started wittering on about the courage of the clergy in facing up to the accusations of abuse. Wrong emphasis! He should have commended the courage of the VICTIMS in coming forward and daring to take on the might of the Catholic Church!!!

]]> By: Al http://www.steger-lewis.net/al/2009/05/child-abuse-the-state-the-catholic-church-in-ireland/comment-page-1/#comment-28 Al Sat, 23 May 2009 20:04:36 +0000 http://www.steger-lewis.net/al/?p=368#comment-28 Thanks for the comment Fin. As you say, we have long been aware of the behaviour and reputation of the Christian Brothers (and others), hence the 'news' is the scale of the atrocities, which has never before been admitted or acknowledged. Thanks for the comment Fin. As you say, we have long been aware of the behaviour and reputation of the Christian Brothers (and others), hence the ‘news’ is the scale of the atrocities, which has never before been admitted or acknowledged.

]]> By: Fin Keegan http://www.steger-lewis.net/al/2009/05/child-abuse-the-state-the-catholic-church-in-ireland/comment-page-1/#comment-27 Fin Keegan Sat, 23 May 2009 18:20:10 +0000 http://www.steger-lewis.net/al/?p=368#comment-27 Thanks, Al. Agree with you that the importance of the report lies in the setting out of the sheer scale of the abuse, a scale that indicates the persecution of impoverished children had become systemic. As RTE's Gerry Ryan put it the other day, "We're not talking about a few bad apples here: teh whole barrel was rotten". I grew up in Ireland (b.1965) and knew the Christian Brothers by repute as given to thuggishness but I never suspected that they were effectively running a Gulag for Children, nor that the abuse descended such depths of depravity. I do think that the State emerging with a report conclusively proving both scale and depravity IS news. And that is why people are shocked: nobody quite grasped it before. Thanks, Al.

Agree with you that the importance of the report lies in the setting out of the sheer scale of the abuse, a scale that indicates the persecution of impoverished children had become systemic. As RTE’s Gerry Ryan put it the other day, “We’re not talking about a few bad apples here: teh whole barrel was rotten”.

I grew up in Ireland (b.1965) and knew the Christian Brothers by repute as given to thuggishness but I never suspected that they were effectively running a Gulag for Children, nor that the abuse descended such depths of depravity. I do think that the State emerging with a report conclusively proving both scale and depravity IS news.

And that is why people are shocked: nobody quite grasped it before.

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