Archbishop ignored the abuse

Am I surprised?

He should get the boot - this cadre of religious leaders all protecting one another stinks.

Any organisation that does this is to be deprecated; religious organisations have a special duty to honorable behaviour, as they are in such a position of trust.

We'll said Mishap.

Well not we'll.

There is now deep suspicion of all the established institutions - whether they be religious, political, financial, or judicial, and a growing suspicion that they contain a significant number of powerful people who will protect the institution and its members at the expense of the people it is supposed to represent.

What a sad state of affairs Eloethan.

Is there anything we can do about this? It seems endemic these days. I suppose all we can do is believe children and encourage them to share concerns with us. DH was at a school in the 1960s which later turned up in various reports as having been a scene of much abuse of young boys. It was run by a religious order. He was not abused but saw and heard stuff that he knew couldn't be right but couldn't tell his mother as she would just plain not believe him. He just accepted that that was what happened at school as it was all he knew. He was only 7 when sent there. His mother scrimped and saved to send him there as she was assured that it was the very best thing that she could do. She missed him dreadfully but the priests said she was doing a wonderful thing. When news began to filter out about the abuse she just pretended she didn't hear. An understandable response which I suspect covered a great deal of heartbreak.

I have looked it up and see there was a previous discussion of the film Philomena. I haven't seen the film but have read the book. The cruelty of the nuns was terrible and I just can't understand how Roman Catholics are able to maintain their faith. I am not trying to be offensive. I would genuinely like to know. I have some very good friends who are involved with the Catholic church and I would like to ask them but am afraid of spoiling our friendship. They realise I have different views and we quietly respect each others differences.

I have a very religious RC friend. We`ve had ding dong battles about abuse in the past but she just resolutely says the children are lying. I couldn't bring myself to mention the 700 children`s bodies found dead in that septic tank in Ireland as I could hardly let myself think about it. She`s such a nice lady I don't want to lose her friendship. What can we do???

Jane10 I suppose the best thing we can do is let it be known that we are not happy about the current situation. People sometimes deride those who sign on-line petitions but if it becomes clear that a large number of people are angry about a particular issue, it can yield results.

There are also various campaigns that need as much support as they can get - such as UK Uncut, which has massively raised the profile of the matter of tax avoidance/evasion, etc.

Also, if there is something local or national that you feel concerned about, write to your local MP. If enough people raise a particular issue, MPs start to sit up and pay attention.

It doesn't feel enough in the face of so much corruption and wrongdoing, but at least it's something.

It does seem extraordinary that in the facer of so much evidence about, for instance, child abuse within respected institutions, some people just won't accept that it has happened. I suppose if you have spent a lifetime believing that those in respected and powerful positions are beyond reproach, it is difficult to have everything you hold dear turned upside down. The danger of matters being "brushed under the carpet" (as they tried to do with MPs' expenses and child abuse) is that institutions as a whole lose credibility even though there are people within them who are decent and genuine.