Secrets and lies

So, at the time of writing, a settlement has been reached in the long-running saga of swimming coach Derry O’Rourke and the young people he sexually abused while they were under his care. Swim Ireland, which is the national governing body for swimming in Ireland, and King’s Hospital school have agreed to pay compensation ranging between €100,000 and €500,000 to 12 victims.

The claim for compensation was vigorously contested by the defendants and the fight lasted ten years. This may seem brutal and heartless, but any organisation is likely to defend its position and minimise the scope and scale of damage arising.
Equally, there comes a time to put matters to rest and there has been a broad welcome for the settlement that has been agreed and a general hope that things can now move on.
By unhappy coincidence, the whole issue of sex abuse by priests has also been in the news in recent weeks. There have been some settlements, but the scale of abuse is vast and the process of finding out what happened tortuous.
Towards that end, the Government set up the Commission of Investigation into Clerical Sex Abuse. In the last ten days, the former Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Cardinal Desmond Connell secured an interim injunction to prevent legal documents being given to the Commission by his successor, Dr. Diarmuid Martin.
Needless to say, victims’ groups have reacted with fury. And you can’t blame them.
Long time fellow travellers of this column will know that the Hog is not a religious person and has little time for the pomp and circumstance of religion. But he’s also a pluralist and believes one should live and let live.

ALLEGATIONS AGAINST 147 PRIESTS
Also, transformation is possible. In fairness, Archbishop Martin has ushered in a more transparent regime. In a different context, to do with the situation created by the encampment of Roma on the Ballymun M50 roundabout, he stated unequivocally (on Questions and Answers) that the law must be observed.
This was significant, as Catholic non-governmental organisations had been supporting the Roma in various ways that might have been perceived to be subversive of the law.
And the Archbishop has followed that general precept by cooperating much more closely with the Commission into Clerical Sex Abuse than did his predecessor.
Cardinal Connell was from the old regime, a deeply conservative and authoritarian man, the kind who would have provided some of the philosophical gristle to the Hiberno-Taliban that dominated this state for two generations and under whose hegemony priests, brothers and nuns felt free to physically and sexually abuse children in their care, including those in Magdalen laundries.
And it is a paradox that an organisation that told its followers that nothing escaped the eye of God, and that all truth would be revealed in the end, itself tried to hide and bury the truth and intimidate those who tried to expose the terror, often on the grounds of ‘the greater good’.
Mark the contrast. Apparently, Dr. Martin’s most recent figures show that so far, there are allegations and suspicions of child sexual abuse against 147 priests who have served in Dublin since 1940 – whereas Dr Connell’s examination of the exact same files only produced a list of 17 names for referral to the Gardaí.
Many observers of this whole sordid process, such as journalist Mary Raftery, have commented on the secrecy and duplicity of the Church in the late 1980s and 1990s. Its denial, obduracy and sophistry far surpass what might be reasonable for any organisation faced with a succession of claims.
One need not be so innocent as to believe that the Catholic Church is now completely transparent. But it’s better than before. There’s a realisation that truth will (eventually) out.
Settlements will then follow. This will be expensive – in 1995, the Church’s insurers refused to insure against any further historic claims. Speculators are anticipating the sale of various Church-owned sites in Dublin worth billions, which may well be sold to pay the settlements.
When you see the relief accruing from the settlement with Derry O’Rourke’s victims, wouldn’t it be a good thing to close it off as soon as possible?