n - Eureka Street

LEITERSNo excuseFrom John EastMichael McGirr's article on sexualabuse within the Catholic educationsystem (Eureka Street, April 199 7) is,I think, a generally fair and compassionateattempt to view this verypainful issue from all sides, and he isnot sparing in his criticism of thoseinstitutional flaws within the Churchthat made exual ab use not only possible but inevitabl e.I was however very disappointedthat one paragraph-something of anapologia for the Catholic educa tionsystem in this country-was highlightedon the inside front cover of thatissue. There were in my opinion otherparagraphs in that article which betterdeserved such prominence. Moreimportantly, I disagree with McGirr'sattempt, in the final sentence of thatparagraph, to blame the whole countryfor the prevalence of sexual abusein the Catholic educa tion system. Thesentence in question runs thus: 'If ali fe of personal privation forced someindividuals into distorted behaviour,then th e whole country is s ubtlycomplicit.'Thi i , I believe, quite unfair, as theproblem lay very much within theinstitutions of the atholic Church, andnot in Australian society as a whole. Ifwe look at the issue from the point ofview of the abuser, then the mainconsideration which kept him (or her)within their life of 'personal privation'was the knowledge of the ostracism bytheir Catholic family, friends andcolleagues which would be their lotupon leaving the order, to say nothingof the threat of ecclesiastical sanctionsif perpetual vows were broken.From the point of view of thevictim, the only adults in whom anabused child could confide-teacher ,parents, parish pri est, family doctorwouldprobably all have been Catholicswho had been thoroughlybrain-washed into believing that theirChurc h and their clergy wereincapable of error. And had one ofthose adults dared to complain to theecclesiastical authorities, they wouldprobably, at best, have been fobbed offwith bl and assurances, or, at worst,have been threatened with loss of livelihoodor denial of the sacraments ifthey did not hold their tongue.McGirr's suggestion tha t thecountry as a whole was guilty of theEurelw Street welcomes lettersfrom its readers. Short letters aremore likely to be published, andall letters may be edited. Lettersmust be signed, and shouldinclude a contact phone number