Cloyne fallout - Betrayal by the few

Taoiseach Enda Kenny received overwhelming public support following his blistering condemnation of the misbehaviour covered by the Cloyne report.

Between July 20 when he spoke out, and on August 1, the Taoiseach received 507 messages in reaction to his address. Some 455 of those were entirely supportive, which amounted to 89.8%, a further 23 (4.5%) were conditionally supportive, while only 29 (5.7%) were critical.

This was not a scientific survey. It is relatively easy for select groups to organise an electronic write-in campaign. In the past, however, politicians were usually inundated with organised messages supporting the Church’s stand, especially on matters like birth control and divorce.

There was some of the usual hysterical abuse, questioning the Taoiseach’s own faith, and essentially accusing him of being hypocritical for professing his own Catholicism. But this arguably added force to his comments, as it came from within rather than from outside the Church.

In the midst of this controversy it should never be forgotten that many thousands of good decent men and women answered their vocations and served humanity magnificently. They were betrayed not only by a comparatively few paedophiles in the midst, but even more so by the Church authorities who exposed other children in the reckless way in which they sought to cover up the abuse.