‘They wanted me to go away’

INSENSITIVITY. Lack of compassion. Disbelief. Inaction.

This was how victims of clerical sexual abuse were greeted by the Catholic Church, according to a major new study.

Victims felt the Church was only concerned with protecting itself, according to the report commissioned by the Irish Bishops' Conference.

The impact of the abuse marked by depression, suicidal thoughts and intimacy problems was compounded by the difficult and frustrating complaints procedure, according to the research.

"Some participants felt that Church personnel to whom they reported their abuse did not believe them. Similarly, most said they did not experience understanding, warmth or compassion from those to whom they reported," according to the study.

The report, Time to Listen, carried out by the Department of Psychology at the Royal College of Surgeons, said complaints were met by inaction by the Church.

"Participants described difficulties in making a complaint and in having the complaint heard. Complaints were not always responded to promptly and participants found that they had to follow up on progress themselves."

One complainant told the authors: "The whole process was unbelievable because instead of helping there was a fence at each step of the way, and in many ways I think that was worse than the abuse itself because everything was a battle and every time you put your trust in someone they let you down."

One woman who made a complaint did not receive any reply for two months. "She then contacted the person to whom she had complained and waited another seven weeks for a reply," the report said.

Some were met with disbelief. One victim said: "Our local parish priest said that he knew the (abuser) very well. 'There isn't a problem with him. You are being silly'."

Another victim said: "I was considered ... an absolute nightmare for them, a troublemaker, a nasty individual because I stood up for what was right ... they wanted me to go away."

One woman said the priest she complained to blamed her: "His reaction was I could stop worrying about it because I was forgiven ... he said it wasn't my fault that I had tempted this man (abuser) ... and he wouldn't let me give him his (abuser's) name ... I felt he thought I was there to get some absolution ... he treated me like a leper."

When the same woman tried to report the matter again years later, another Church official said: "He said, 'You can't ruin a man's life for something he did 30 years ago'..."

Most said they were met with a defensive and legalistic attitude by the Church. One victim said: "It was never about protecting children. It was about protecting themselves."

The report said victims continue to suffer psychological and social effects of their abuse. "Depression and anxiety typically remained throughout life along with suicidal ideation, relationship and intimacy problems and a sense of guilt as a result of non-disclosure of the abuse as a child."

The report noted that most victims said they no longer had any faith in the Catholic Church.