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More in my email, this from JohnB
On the issue of the sexual abuse of children by clergy and the subsequent coverup.
As we all know it at times seems like an impossibly big topic yet we all acknowledge that we are we not even slightly capable of bringing into the conversation in the mainstream press the merest hint of the social implications toward society and our children in the face of the reality of what is occurring in the Catholic and in other churches.
Currently we simply have outrage across continents over a never ending stream of disclosures and failures of the most most highly skilled and trained theological and religious minds the world has achieved and a long filter down of the same corrupted power and control mentality into society. These same minds are still playing guessing games whilst religiously railing at those things they fear the most. In survivor parlance that is the direction you are most likely to find the truth when it comes to dealing with the church.
The reality is that no religion or religious group is genuinely able to move beyond repeated and constant apologies, band-aides and guessing games as to the cause of this failure; none are capable of devising let alone implementing socially acceptable solutions when these types of solutions are the very core of their business.
The Vatican continues to play the blame game whilst the press appears to play the off with his head game to the detriment of society and the safety and the protection of children.
Survivors and others affected who have turned campaigners against the church have opinion and knowledge in this area and they say it is only due to their experience of both the religion and their subsequent escape from the control and the power used against them that makes it possible for them to give a broader picture of the problems and potential solutions of both the sexual abuse of children and of the abusive misuse of the power wielded by the churches and those who derive their existence from them.
Fortunately what is coalescing is a growing number of groups of people who have come through the horrors and have survived intact, they are now determined to obtain an equal hearing before the public. Their stories and the collective knowledge is of imperative importance to society in that until the stories of their lives and their survival are told and understood there will be little in the way of social learning and advancement towards a solution from all that has occurred, little in the way of compensation or repair of themselves and the lives of their children as well as the lives of society's children now and into the future.
These survivors also want to talk of the relationship of a wide range of social issues including teenage suicide and the role conflict over religious belief plays in that as they are aware from their own experience and the experience of others through the loss to suicide of teenage friends and acquaintances along with a loss in known survivors through every age of their life. The conflict over the control and power of religion is the issue that takes the majority of survivors lives as they simply find this more difficult to surmount than the survival and coming to terms of their childhood abuses. The fight and the resistance they encounter on this journey is found in many areas of life and their experience tells them that these are the driving forces on this and in many other dysfunctional areas of society including education, health services, government provided services and extension of government services.
These survivors each tell of a mounting fight against bureaucrats and government officials, 'the system', policing, support systems as well as religious leaders and their followers. Socially their survival experience is not a pretty picture. It is a picture of ostracism, exclusion, discrimination, accusation and abuse.
Healing and loss of faith
Where do those who have lost faith in the church and the system sit in regards the healing journey and more importantly just what is the healing journey for these people?
Do they have things of value to share with society and with others caught up in the issue? Do they have political views and who have they contacted in this regard? What were the responses from local politicians and community leaders? Do they have opinions on the causes, the laws and the methods of the church in fighting their claims?
Find any of these groups and you will find very reasonable people with a real dedication and a desire to be able to say to the world that the way current religions operate is simply one of exploitation for the benefit of the clergy and the Executive communities and the businesses that derive their income from them. Perversely, it is Catholics and Christians who are most in fear of the disclosures continuing after all their spiritual existence and future life depends on the fact that they are not permitted for a moment to consider where these survivors have had to go in order to survive their childhood experiences. For many it is their livelihood and few of them have not been close to someone who has attempted to speak out only to see them lose their job or for them to be ostracized and vilified in the school, parish or community.
Unfortunately the rejection of survivors who attempt to speak out or those who did speak out over the generations has simply divided believers and built walls throughout society; walls which are essentially aimed at keeping the abuses of clergy and those who implicated themselves hidden from view.
The eventual effect has been one where an individual in society who simply aims to heal themselves of the effects of their childhood sexual abuse and squarely faces their tormentor becomes socially ostracized as an outcast and is actively discriminated against as a result of them healing. This discrimination has no basis in law however it has influenced to an astonishing degree the policies and laws of our country, organizations, clubs, politicians, health, education, policing and on throughout society.
The view that a coverup can be confined to the Vatican in the current moment is simply naive as it takes ground troops to implement and maintain what must now be recognized as social manipulation. It is this subversive action that these survivors say they are most hard pressed by in their day to day lives.
The abuse of power is an historic thing and during its peak it produced such inhuman laws as the statute of limitations laws which are still actively used by the church across the world to impede the course of justice. Much of our law and our policy making has been influenced for generations by the church; along with that came the coverup mentality, the subsequent restriction here and policy shift there has amounted in time to the wholesale blocking of effective social processes. The coverup has in effect built in to our society the legal and political requirements that permit the abuses and the coverup to continue. The church has produced and placed monumental guilt and burden on Catholic, Christian and non believers alike.
From the perspective of many victims the following are just some of the topics or items they would like to address with the church and with politicians in a public forum.
Child safety and protection in light of the failure of the Catholic church to address appropriately the sexual abuse of children by its clergy.
The establishment of universal policies that ensure compliance of the church and its followers with the law.
The removal of references to civil matter from church canons.
Minimum joining age of 16.
Recognize church as a corporation without any tax benefit or preferential treatment or positioning by governments.
Rule of law and equality for all.
Enforcement of the requirement for the church to be in compliance with the law as a requirement of its right to exist in the country.
Statute of limitations laws and the use of the court systems to block and out cost victims. The use of the statute of limitations laws in regards personal crimes.
The combined expansionary tactics of the quasi commercial/religious mix of the catholic church and the involvement of high level government officials and members of parliament.
The practice of the church preaching what is essentially emotional blackmail of the population in its attempt to continue with failed religious dogma.
The custom of declaring victims and those who speak out insane or mentally disturbed.
The habit of police forces of placing sexual abuse and in particular clergy sexual abuse survivors in mental facilities as a means of silencing them.
The provision of services which are not religion/dogma based or religion/dogma tested or conditional.
The lack of research from those who have survived re techniques of benefit to other survivors.
The lack of information to assist in tracking down other survivors and perpetrators.
Knowing that collaborating and coming together is the most positive step in the healing process why are there no ventures available to survivors to connect up survivors by the church or the government.
Why must church charity services be unavailable to survivors through the practice of referring all to the local bishop who in turn refers on to the same processes which have failed them, very often these are bodies which survivors have complained about the quality and the range of services and the independence of the operations.
Where and how to get answers to their questions. The lack of a centralized religious authority is simply a part of the problem. The lack of a government response is the open abandonment of these victims and of children.
Churches to publicly disclose a list of known offenders and standardized reporting procedures be implemented clearly stating that the law is the first and only point of contact.Education of police and health workers so that victims rights are upheld. The establishment of an ombudsman to support survivors needs and with the authority to dismantle the lottery of navigating government provided services and extension to government services particularly in services provided by the catholic church.
Governments to clearly state that the law is the over-riding rule in the country as religions are free to operate in our country if they abide by the law.
Governments to discontinue all trade with church bodies until they are in compliance with all legal requirements.
The church must understand that it has nothing of value or benefit to offer many victims via its religious teachings or practices and that it must treat these people with dignity and equality.
Victims want to know how so many people can continue to work within this organization and remain silent on unhealthy practices. Their disclosure of coverup practices should be rewarded.
Provide the opportunity for victims to tell their story to church congregations and for them to be able to put forward and have input in policy development.
The silence of politicians of all persuasions should be overcome via an initial public forum and parliamentary debate and fact finding investigation.
The basis of a litmus test for a healing church would be for a victim to be able to enter a church and for them not to be faced with the same abuses of power which were used against them - it is the story of the power that has been used against them that these survivors want to tell the most.
I wonder if any of the reporters and writers receiving this would care to raise these issue in the press. For the sake of ours and others children I truly hope so.
rgds
JohnB
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"Exposing the crimes of the Global Clergy Abuse Crisis which both church and state do not want you to hear or read about"
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