A LETTER has been sent to the president by a Co Cork priest informing her that "vile, cruel and oppressive" bullying in Irish seminaries led to numerous suicide attempts by student priests.The priest, who has long called for greater transparency around clerical sex abuse, told President Mary McAleese that "abuse as reflected in the Ryan Report is not confined or limited to children in religious institutions in Ireland".
He has sent a similar letter to the Vatican.
"I studied in a Roman Catholic Seminary in Ireland from and the culture that prevailed there was vile, cruel and oppressive. Emotional and psychological abuse was the norm and those who abused their authority realised fully that they were unaccountable and above the law. Towards the end of my time there I was duly called in and told in no uncertain terms that I was to keep my mouth shut and take what I knew to my grave," he said.
"When left that seminary system I realised that many would not have endured what I had to endure. I concluded that it would be a matter of time before some one would commit suicide," he said.
The Co Cork priest informed her he knew of one victim at a seminary who attempted suicide and "left a number of suicide notes for members of his family, but the Church authorities never passed them on".
He claimed in a letter that another priest, who had been bullied in the seminary, succeeded in committing suicide, but there was never an internal inquiry at the seminary.
"I suffered profound ill-health as a result of what I personally experienced and witnessed. Nobody was prepared to do anything about the abuse that prevailed. Even to report it to professors they were powerless to do anything about it. .... The reality for many sadly was that the Church structure and system was not a safe place."
In the letter, the priest thanked the president for her public statement on the Ryan Report.
"I am in no doubt but that your words of wisdom provided great reassurance to the unfortunate victims who were subjected to humiliating and degrading abuse and torture at the hands of their cruel oppressor who profess to be acting in the name of God, religion and Church. It was a shocking revelation for many but for the victims it was final confirmation of their reality," he said.
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