Friday, January 07, 2011
MAY I briefly reply to Niall Meehan’s letter (Irish Examiner, December 23).
The thrust of my letter was a comparing and contrasting exercise.
I’m not in any way condoning abuse/neglect, regardless of its source.
However, by any objective analysis over the last 15 years or so there has been a totally unbalanced level of scrutiny regarding Catholic-related institutions by comparison with others.
Take Bethany House as an example. Mr Meehan is to be commended for researching this story.
Nevertheless, it seems extraordinary that the national broadcaster, just down the road in D4, while simultaneously making back-to-back documentaries (States of Fear, Dear Daughter, etc, etc.) relating to the Catholic Church, totally ignored Bethany House.
Mr Meehan’s revelations were reported, but given their import not as forensically/comprehensively as the relatively lesser cases of Catholic-related abuse.
Equally the recent revelation of approx. 200 deaths of children in State care, was totally downplayed by RTE and others. Maybe I’ve missed Liveline lately!
However, perhaps I’m being unfair and jumping the gun.
As we speak RTE could be commissioning melodramas about Bethany House and HSE-related child deaths.
Eric Conway
Co. Meath
This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Friday, January 07, 2011
Well Iam not a religous person. You see we in the institutions did not know any other priests or nuns than the ones present. the teachers we had were two nuns ‘ and two wemen who between them taught us as the nuns went to church or prayers’ so thats all we can judge from. Thay were well paid by the state and our perents’and yet we did all the upkeeping, cleaning, and making the rosary beads . thay took away any chance of a decent life by cutting us off from our familys. no way of making aa living other than meanly work.
Pauline, it’s confession time. I’m a Catholic & I am ashamed/embarassed/disgusted by abuse carried out by Catholic religious. I experieced physical abuse by a married/lay teacher in the late 1960’s, so I’m naturally sympathetic to others. However, I was lucky to experience wonderful Catholic Priest teachers, who restored my faith in humanity. I’m merely trying to restore some balance, because the good Priests/religious are being tarred with the same brush. For this reason I have a particular hatred ( not a nice emotion ) for those who abused. But I feel some people have an ulterior motive.
Iagree with you there. but dont forget that all the schools are run by religous groups of all kinds. but most of them are catholic.and a very few people have appeared in newspapers. thay have thier stories and thats what thay talk about . but how come people treat children, in such a way is something i dont understand.