Nine Year Investigation Shows Thousands Were Abused

Ireland is the stage for yet another story of abuse in the Catholic church. A report that is over 2,500 pages reveals physical and sexual abuse along with many other forms of mistreatment of children. Those children are now adults between the ages of 50-80 years old. These victims were orphans or were spending time in reform schools. They were forced to work, subjected to degrading acts, beaten and raped. The report also shows that known pedophiles were working in these institutions and were protected by the Catholic church. Investigations started after the victims pushed for it, but the report does not name the perpetrators. There have been some apologies from the government and church, and both have paid thousands of victims with money. Does naming the perpetrator, apologizing or paying off the victims really do much? How do you measure the emotional and psychological abuse these victims still suffer from? What determines that justice has been served? How does something like this happen for so long to so many people? These are all questions that haven't been answered and probably never will. As much as publishing this report has brought attention to this serious matter, the abusers have paid no price. By protecting the names of the abusers, the lack of accountability is like adding salt to the wound. It shows that there is support for the abuser instead of the victims which seems to be the worse crime of all.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090520/ap_on_re_eu/eu_ireland_catholic_abuse