Is there some way to ask both Cardinal Seán Brady and Minister
Frances Fitzgerald to refrain from what essentially is a phoney war?
Of course, what the Cardinal said at Knock is true, confession is an
inviolable and ''sacred and treasured'' rite but that speech has only
served to push Minister Fitzgerald into a further reiteration of her
intention to bring in a broad based mandatory reporting policy.
For her part, Minister Fitzgerald wants no hiding place for people who abuse children. No one could find fault with that.
For too long we've had ministers for children who promised much but were light on delivery.
So while both the cardinal and the minister are right and good
intentioned, the obvious inability to sit down and talk with each other
to find common ground is a serious problem and is not going to serve the
cause to which both are committed -- the protection of children.
A Church/State conflict over the confessional seal will not serve
either party.
Could both of them actually focus on the 99.9 per cent of
the problem which exists outside of the confessional in order to try and
make some progress on this deeply ingrained issue in our society?
Few abusers admit to child abuse and few confess it and none will
confess it if the priest is forced to go to the gardai¨. So why make
this the dominant issue?
Cardinal Brady has enough to worry about with the Raphoe audit coming
out soon, and possibly leading on to Derry and who knows where after
that.
For the minister, she should be looking at the HSE and other State
bodies who have been criticised in all the abuse reports and yet no one
has had to resign.
She should also look at the reality that child sexual abuse is
occurring every day in our society and that it is Catholics,
non-Catholics and post-Catholics who are involved.
A phoney war instead of what needs to be a real and engaging debate,
to which we all should be party, runs the risk of becoming a further
farce through an unnecessary focus in what will emerge as a red herring
-- that might be suiting the agendas of those who would wish to
perpetuate a phoney war, than have a moment based on shared full truth
(State and Church) and find resolutions.
So come on, minister, and come on, cardinal! Open your diaries and
sit down and talk. What is -- or is not -- already in the files of
Churches, voluntary groups and State organisations and agencies, is the
crux of the matter.
The Church has mandatory reporting for 15 years now (whatever deficiencies occur in some cases) -- who else has?
And while we are at it, will the proposed mandatory law be
retrospective and in that case, it may give us all a chance to see what
has been really happening on the sidelines of this debate since Brendan
Smyth in 1994.
How many citizens have remained silent about the 96pc of abuse that goes largely unheard of?
Safeguarding Children in Ireland -- pro-child or anti-Catholic?
It's time for a fuller debate!