Deliver us from Evil!

          In view of the somewhat serious tone of my previous few efforts, I considered that it was time for a lighter topic. However, recently I had occasion to view a remarkable TV documentary entitled “Deliver Us From Evil”.

This is now available on YouTube in a series of bite-sized 4-6 minute episodes. I would strongly recommend that all who visit here should take the opportunity to view it in total to fully appreciate how unspeakably evil is its content. I was so incensed I felt bound to respond immediately.

The below address locates Episode One. From here it is simple to navigate onwards.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0N86RFBz4rs

       This chronicles the experiences of several families with small children, all of whom become sexual prey of a Catholic priest, Father Oliver O’Grady. The distress of the parents when they learn of his abuses can be imagined. Their family life was effectively destroyed.
       In one of the examples, a 40 year old woman victim who remains mired in Catholic dogma insists that when she is married it must be in church. Sadly this is unlikely since her father who must be present to give her away refuses to ever enter a church again because of what happened. The mother became so distressed that she had to give up work whilst her husband has had to do likewise to support her. In another and quite astonishing example, O'Grady was actually successful in establishing a sexual relationship with a mother as a means to getting access to  her small son! Despite all this, the reaction of church officials after being informed of these abominations was disbelief denial, deception and lies. Clearly this was nothing new to them and one with which they had become familiar over the years 

        Throughout the entire series the only church representative with genuine concern and integrity is the commendable Father Tom Doyle who, in addition to his clerical affairs, is a lawyer and historian. His actions over the years to bring all this abuse into the open he says has resulted in him being fired from two major church positions.

          To give an idea of how high in the church this extended, in 1978 the church appointed someone responsible for making sure that priests did not abuse children. This appointee was none other than Joseph Ratzinger the current Pope! Not only was he very unsuccessful in this but he was actually accused of covering up sexual abuse in the US, but at the Vatican’s request the then President George W. Bush granted him immunity from prosecution.

          At the conclusion of the documentary, two of the victims, together with the parents of one victim accompany Tom Doyle to Rome. Here they attempt to deliver a letter to the Vatican but are refused admission. They hand over the letter to the guards. No reply or acknowledgement has ever been received.   

          As for the disgraced Father O'Grady. It was later estimated that he had hundreds of victims. Ultimately he would serve seven of a fourteen year prison sentence, after which he was removed to Ireland. Throughout, he seems remarkably sanguine and  quite complacent without a trace of remorse.

        The film was made in 2006. In March 2011 Oliver O’Grady was caught in Dublin Airport in possession of thousands of pornographic images of children from the ages of 3 to teenagers  

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          This appalling debacle seems to have stemmed directly from the Church’s policy of celibacy by priests. This was not as a result of any New Testament directive. In fact the subject was rarely raised until the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. In fact, many Popes were married and continued to be so for a considerable time thereafter. According to several sources, including the film, the main purpose of celibacy was to prevent the estate of deceased priests being handed to their eldest son and instead transferred directly to the avaricious Church coffers. In fact it seems that celibacy was not considered in any way mandatory until the eleventh century. 

         

        In my view this policy inevitably led to the priesthood being comprised from three main sources or categories:

1. Heterosexual

Very few likely. What normal healthy man would willingly give up normal, highly desirable relations with a woman together with the concomitant foregoing of family life. This would be quite unnatural. Why would they reject a great gift from God?

2. Asexual.

Another small number –many of whom could be experiencing emotional dysfunction or other health problems.

3. Homosexual or paedophilic

Very appealing to those with these proclivities: either between themselves or unfortunately involving children of their congregation. Their workplace environment combines maximum availability with frequent opportunity.

          Other than group 2, no one is immune from sexual instincts and associated hormonal agitation. Nature is no respecter of religious rank or denomination No one is impervious to its powerful urges. Periodically, some relief process is unavoidable and will occur by one means or another; either by sexual intercourse, masturbation or if all else fails, nocturnal emissions. It will occur. How the formulators of doctrinal protocol could ignore or turn a blind eye to this fundamental reality of all animals (-including bishops and Cardinals!), beggars the mind.  

The disastrous results of this thinking (-or more likely lack of it) are manifested in the film. The sole function of these self-styled representatives of God is to provide pastoral support and spiritual guidance to their congregation. It is impossible to conceive of such a massive betrayal of trust. Their vile and despicable acts extend even to babies!. I am completely unable comprehend how they can continue to live with themselves.

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          In addition to the above, historically the Catholic Church has been responsible for bloodletting and massacres on a grand scale. From the Crusades, the Conquistadores, the Inquisitions, burnings at the stake, beheadings and torturings during Britain’s Tudor period and more recently in Rwanda, erstwhile Yugoslavia and elsewhere. Yet despite all this, the Church and its diverse activities continue. The effects of early indoctrination amounting in effect to brainwashing are difficult to overcome particularly in underdeveloped countries. Thankfully at long last as people become better educated, more and more will at last see it for what it is.