Tag: sexual abuse

The Report also revealed that the Irish Catholic Church had a nonchalant attitude toward the sexual abuse of children under their care – considering this abhorrent behaviour to be both ‘normal’ and ‘endemic’. Abusers, if they were ever questioned about their illegal behaviour, were dealt with through a secret form – a procedure that did nothing to fundamentally address the issue or prevent further abuse. Victims that grew up in Church institutions, later disclosed their experiences, but many high-ranking Church officials were of the opinion that their claims were exaggerated and not real. Church officials thought that the most important thing (for the Church) was to prevent the scandal, rather than help the victims of the child sexual abuse, who had suffered untold mental and physical injuries.