“The faithful across the dioceses of Ireland named the toll of physical, sexual and emotional abuse, along with its concealment as the most urgent issue to be addressed. The ordinary faithful of our land named it for what it is: an open wound.” Three weeks after the publication of a government report on sexual violence perpetrated in Irish Catholic schools, Irish Archbishop Dermot Farrell of Dublin delivered a homily calling for real awareness in a church entangled in scandals and struggling to reform.
During the September 21 Safeguarding Sunday Mass, Archbishop Farrell openly condemned a "culture of denial" that is eating away at Irish Catholicism. "The Church in Ireland has yet fully to come to terms with what was done to the thousands upon thousands of innocent and vulnerable people over such a long period of time," he admitted.
“A widespread pattern of abuse”
Throughout his homily, the Archbishop of Dublin acknowledged the systemic nature of sexual violence. "Until the abuse crisis is fully addressed, there will be no authentic, enduring renewal and reform of our Church," Archbishop Farrell declared.
Further reading: Irish report reveals widespread sexual abuse in Catholic schools
Since the 1990s, cases and scandals have followed one another: sexual and physical violence, the exploitation of young women in the laundries of the “Magdalene convents,” and more. The hemorrhage of the faithful continues, and it is against this backdrop that a report published in early September once again tainted local Catholicism.
This investigation, commissioned by the government, revealed some 2,400 accusations of sexual violence committed by nearly 900 perpetrators in 300 Catholic schools across the country over the last 50 years. The report also noted that priests of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, commonly known as Spiritans, are the most frequently mentioned by the victims.
“Sadly, it is not new to hear that there was widespread abuse of pupils and that shameful acts were perpetrated by religious themselves, as well as by teachers, peers, and others employed in their schools,” Farrell lamented. “What was new was the presentation of an extensive, sustained, and horrific pattern of abuse which has disfigured our tradition of Catholic education and profoundly damaged the lives of so many young people and their families."
"Changing the culture"
For the Archbishop of Dublin, there is an urgent need for a “change of culture” and embrace a “culture of accountability.” “Not just the call of the gospel, but basic human justice, demands that we not dismiss the witness of those who suffered abuse, but recognize their continuing hurt and suffering, and begin to come to terms with the fact that this darkness has roots deep within ourselves,” he encouraged, adding, “ It is essential that all of us come to terms with the reality that has been experienced by so many.”
This call to change mindsets is still facing challenges in Ireland when it comes to deeply reforming the Catholic Church. While listening structures and the training of personnel dedicated to the protection of vulnerable individuals have been established over the past twenty years, the efforts remain insufficient, according to Archbishop Farrell: “Accountability that is worthy of its name is about more than designating individuals to exercise special responsibility. It is about a culture where people are encouraged to express their concerns with the assurance that they will be heard.”
For several years, Ireland has been undergoing rapid secularization. According to 2023 figures from the country’s Central Statistics Office, the percentage of Irish residents who describe themselves as Catholic has fallen to 69%, compared to 79% of the total population in the last similar census in 2016. Just over half of the inhabitants of the Irish capital, Dublin, now identify as Catholic. Currently, 21 young men are preparing for the priesthood for the entire country; the seminary for the Archdiocese of Dublin, which has 1.6 million inhabitants, of whom over 60% identify as Catholic, has received only one seminarian for the coming year.