Listened to “The Last Word” this evening on TodayFM where Matt Cooper & guests discussed clerical abuse in the dioces(sp?) of Ferns in the east of Ireland. The horrifying events recounted by an abused person really put the notion of wholesome Catholic Ireland on ice.
What struck me in particular was one incredibly accurate point that the guest had. Priests were seen as infallible and therefore anything they did had to be right. After all, they are God’s representatives on earth! Family members scoffed at the idea of a man of God doing anything remotely like what was being reported and indeed responded with physical violence and yet more exclusion. It truly boggles the mind…
I have mirrored the first hour of The Last Word for anyone that wishes to listen to the interview. Be warned though; it is graphic. It’s in windows media format too by the way…
