The Catholic Church in Ireland is facing hard times. The publication of a report on abuse cases in church institutions has triggered new anger not only among the victims, but also in the population and politics. In addition to moral accusations and accusations of guilt, demands for financial reparations are currently accumulating above all.
The real question hanging like a dark cloud over the Emerald Isle, however, is an entirely different one: What does the abuse scandal mean for a country that, more than most others in Europe, is shaped by its Catholic identity? The report of an independent commission of inquiry presented in Dublin on Wednesday was shocking. Over the years, probably more than 2.000 children abused, beaten and sexually assaulted in church-run childcare centers, schools and other care facilities. Since then, the phones at the psychological counseling services for victims of sexual violence have not stopped ringing.
The perpetrators were priests, monks, nuns and laymen The abuse revelations are the symbol of the painful awakening of a society in which "almost excessive respect and deference to the clergy" has proved a "perfect breeding ground" for child molesters and criminals, Irish writer Joseph O'Connor wrote last week in the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. The perpetrators were priests, monks, nuns and Catholic laymen. And a whole society has been silent for a long time. Only now is an independent report forcing many people to deal with things they would rather forget or have repressed for years. Close, however, is not only the church's connection with the people, but also with the Irish state. Many critics accuse him of having protected the church – especially with regard to claims for damages. In a 2002 agreement, then-Education and Training Minister Michael Woods agreed to a cap of 127 million euros on payments to abuse victims to save the church from financial ruin. That deal is now being contested by many, although current Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe has ruled out a review. Labour's legal affairs spokesman Pat Rabbitte, for example, condemned the deal as "unorthodox" and called for an independent inquiry into the allegedly unfair "friendship deal". Green Party Environment Minister John Gormley also warned the church not to shirk its "moral responsibility".
Anger over anonymous perpetrators Numerous victims also complain that the abuse report will not lead to new prosecutions because the perpetrators remain anonymous. The Irish order Christian Brothers obtained a court ruling in 2004 that the report could not mention the names of perpetrators or victims. "I would never have revealed my wounds if I had known that this would be the end result," the BBC quoted witness John Walsh of the group Irish Survivors of Child Abuse as saying. It is also questionable what will become of the numerous Catholic educational institutions in the future. Just last week, a conference on Catholic education in Ireland at the University of Limerick addressed new challenges for denominational schools at a time when many parents no longer want Catholic education for their children. Meanwhile, the president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference in Ireland, Sean Brady, stressed that the church and its institutions must once again become a "safe place" for children and regain the trust of the people of Ireland. The question of whether this will succeed is likely to accompany the Catholic Church on the island for some time to come.