Irish survey suggests that Vatican Report findings cannot be proven or substantiated

Dr Margaret Kennedy (founder of MACSAS) has completed a small pilot study in response to the Vatican Visitation Summary Report in Ireland. She concludes that the Vatican Report findings cannot be proven or substantiated and questions the Vatican Report's assertion that 'Much' has been done to support victims of clergy sexual abuse in Ireland'.

She says that "Victims of clergy sexual abuse in Ireland are suffering even today, often without the necessary support and help that makes a 'life worth living' with standards of 'quality of life' as set down by the World Health Organisation. The Catholic Church must urgently address the hidden needs of victims and seek to repair lives fully and adequately."

Margaret calls for a full inquiry, independent research and examination of the conditions that victims of clergy sexual abuse are now living in."

In her Summary and Conclusions, Margaret writes

"The statement made by the Vatican, (and often by Church authorities in Ireland also),  that the Church is supporting victims sexually abused by clergy in Ireland, is NOT supported by this survey’s findings, though a much larger study is required to conclusively say this. 

The responses to allegations have overall been negative, rejecting, and even blaming.  Only in one case has it been rectified in the present time .... 

Most respondents display despair, hopelessness, bitterness, anger and cynicism regarding the Catholic Church.  They shared their ongoing suffering in their daily lives.  Loss of faith, singleness, loneliness, post traumatic stress, and a great deal of emotional and psychological pain over years. Only a few were receiving church funded counselling. Some live in great financial hardship. 

Their continued fights for justice, with three cases taking well over 15 years to be resolved justly, and still ongoing, is testament to the intransigence and stonewalling by church leaders and their solicitors.  

Victims financial sacrifices to obtain both counselling and legal redress has been extensive in some cases. Some mentioning thousands of Euro, whilst one sold an heirloom with emotional devastation.  A sick and disabled survivor now living in America cannot afford to eat. 

Victims shared ideas and their own message to the church to be humble, accept responsibility, those accountable for letting perpetrators continue to abuse to resign, and to change attitudes and values. 

Their views of the Vatican visitation was that the process was a  “waste of time”.  They felt both Church leadership at home and in Rome “don’t listen”, “they cannot”, one implied they were not even ’human’: “first, they must become human’ .  

They said the summary report did not reflect reality and one respondents views given to the ‘Visitator’ was neither heard or reported in the summary."

She recommends 

"That the State or Independent body establish a full research programme to determine exactly: 

a) how many adults have been sexually assaulted in adulthood by clergy religious or religious sisters. This should include religious sisters abused in convents, male seminarians and novices in training, and vulnerable (disabled) adults. 

b) what victims of Clergy Sexual abuse say THEY require for recovery or to achieve a measure of ‘life worth living’ using the WHO ‘Quality of Life’ paradigm as thresholds of good practice. ...

c) To determine what services victims of clergy sexual abuse are receiving from both state and church funded bodies.

d) to determine if these services are meeting ALL the needs of victims which include housing help, education help, financial help, social help, medical help, psychological help and legal help. 

e) to determine why victims seeking redress are languishing well into the two decades AFTER reporting and first seeking such redress. 

f) any research must include victims who are intellectually or physically disabled and their views and service provision should be actively determined FROM THEM not from care-workers or providers."