Showing posts with label letters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label letters. Show all posts

Blackrock Boys : Open Letter to Irish media and politicians in the Dail.




Published, online at The Examiner, an Irish News Paper 8th November, 2023




A chara,


"The psychology of a culture is both revealed and sustained in how they relate to and treat the most vulnerable among them. Change that and we can change everything."

I grew up in 5 Boarding Schools, from age 6 to 17, during the 1960s and 1970s. I am a Survivor.

Today November 7th, 2023, marks the first anniversary of the RTE radio documentary, ‘Blackrock Boys’, driven by the courageous testimony of Survivors David and Mark Ryan amid efforts by a small group of Blackrock alumni and Survivors to extract  a public apology from The Spiritans.


The Carrigan Report of 1931, commissioned by the Irish Government, indicated the scale of sexual abuse of children across the country at that time. That report was suppressed.

Close to a century of suppression (of the true scale of the problem of sexual abuse of children)  maintained by both Church and State has caused unspeakable harm.


Because of public outrage in response to the Blackrock Boys documentary the Government was impelled to commit to carrying out a Public Inquiry, which Survivors of boarding schools and day schools had been calling for, for decades. Those delays have cost lives.


The Government set out a scoping inquiry to record the testimony of a small sample of Survivors, be presented to Government today, to help define the terms of reference and the powers of that Public Inquiry. The term used was ‘a survivor led process’.


The team collating that evidence have requested more time to analyse that evidence and draft a report that accurately reflects the meaning and importance of that evidence. They have been granted an extension to June 2024.


Today, as I write, we Survivors (and you must know there are living Survivors struggling with life within your own constituency) have no materialised support for our most immediate need let alone our long term end of life needs, as vulnerable as we are, as we approach the process of a Public Inquiry.  


We humbly request that the State meets those needs now, before it’s too late.

Please lend your ear to our voices when we ask for our unmet needs to be met.


Support all survivors, in a meaningful material and determined fashion.

We deserve no less.




Kindest regards

Corneilius

Thank you for reading this blog.

"Do what you love, it is your gift to universe."

This blog, like all my other content creation work is not monetised via advertising. If you like what I present, consider sharing my content. If you can afford the price of a cup of coffee or a pint of beer/ale/cider for a few months, please donate via my Patreon account.

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Colm O'Gormans Eulogy for Mark Ryan, may he rest in peace, in Dublin, 27th October 2023 - open letter


David and Mark Ryan (Mark unexpectedly passed away in September 21st 2023, RIP)

This is an open letter to Irish politicians, Irish media and others regarding the matter of a Public Inquiry into the history of Sexual Abuse of Children in Irish Schools since the inception of the state, as a democratic republic.  It is worth noting to readers that the first Government level report into the sexual abuse of children in Irish Schools was The Carrigan Report of 1931.  Here is a 2004 article looking at this matter and the fact that this report was suppressed, for political reasons, for religious reasons and for social and economic reasons.

As regards the Government of Ireland current stance : Mark Vincent Healy is concerned that it is an ethically bankrupt process in that even as it asks Survivors to present their experience and evidence, it has not made adequate provision for the care and welfare Survivors need. The reality is the state financial, psychological and material support for previous Survivors groups, following the 6 Inquiries already done, is less than complete. It really should not be so.

I share his concern. 

My letter is sent out to an email list Mark Vincent has generated as part of Survivors voicing our concerns. Mark Vincent has been active for at least 15 years in advocacy for his own case, and our cause.

I have such a deep respect for every Survivor who has ever spoken out, every Survivor that has made such efforts to have their stories told, heard and understood, in order to ensure Justice prevails. 

The immensity of the task of any individual, or small group of individuals to confront the two most powerful institutions in Ireland is a Sisyphean demand. We deserve the full active support of the entire population, backing us up, all the time, until full justice is restored, and peace can abide in the land.

I would not be in the position I am today, I would not have had the access to help, the level of understanding I have of myself without the work of previous survivors and advocates, thousands of people who have done a huge amount of work on the issue of child abuse, trauma, recovery over many decades.

I truly stand on the shoulders of giants. I am so fortunate, and am well aware that so many were not so lucky as I, and that many still face insurmountable difficulties in their own personhood and their lives as a direct result of child abuse.

-----

Good Morning,

1. I am a Survivor, whose life has been adversely impacted by sexual assault, psychological and emotional abuse, physical abuse and neglect of my needs during 12 years spent in 5 Irish Boarding Schools, between 1965 and 1977. Thus I can speak to the culture within the entire system in that period. it was far from healthy and safe for children. All the adults knew this.

I have written you a number of times on this matter.

I attended the funeral of Mark Ryan, may he rest in peace, in London and the memorial held for him in Dublin.

I read the poem, 'We will Remember' on both occasions.

His sudden passing came as a deep shock, as he, I and others were looking forwards to continuing the task of informing a Public Inquiry, and completing the task of advocating for Justice for all survivors of depraved and extended abuse within the Boarding Schools and Day Schools of Ireland - we were innocents, whose needs as children went unmet, and today we are adults whose needs remain unmet.

The toll chronic childhood trauma takes imposes a burden that is now well understood, though not well met.

2. The Ministers eulogy was appropriately toned, and reflected the genuine compassion and kindness that Mark Ryan brought to this process.

3.  Colm O' Gorman's eulogy expressed in the clearest terms the social and cultural and societal realities. Our plight and condition was known, and we were abandoned to a toxic legacy, not a matter of fate, so much as a matter of cover-ups. We were cast aside. The Church and State turned a blind eye, and lied. Irish society lied to itself.





I invite you to reflect upon the following :

"The psychology of any given family, community or culture is both revealed and perpetuated in how they relate to and treat the most vulnerable among them. Change that and you can change everything."

I suggest that we integrate it into our thinking and action on this matter.

3. We survivors are not 'Victims', we were victimised. 

That is a statement of clarity. 

Every time I read the word 'victim' as a descriptive of myself I recoil in anger and revulsion. I did nothing wrong and any passivity on my part was simply a matter of the vast power disparity between me and the adults who abused me. I was not predestined to be or had any predisposition to adopt the category of victim. I was victimised.

4. I see a change in Irish Society, wrought over the past three to four decades by Survivors from various residential care settings operated by the Church with oversight and funding from the State, advocated for Justice often opposed by Church and State, and others. Systems that were commercial operations, generating wealth for the Church and it's congregations.

I do not see that change coming from within the Church. The defensive, adversarial stance of the congregations involved remains toxic.

I do not see that change coming from the State - I do not see either entity putting up their hands, admitting the fullness of the crimes committed, offering to release all documentation required to write an honest history as part of a sturdy, robust process of Justice, Accountability, Reparation let alone 'healing'.

5. I read history from the perspective of examining the lived experience of the most vulnerable with regard to how their lives are affected and indeed afflicted by the decisions of the most powerful. You might consider what that means, in terms of honesty, empathy, accuracy.

6. Recent offers of a Restorative Justice appear to be manipulative rather than genuine efforts, even as Survivors and their friends best intentions and most fervent hopes were embedded in the process. That manipulative attitude has generated divisions within Survivor groups, divisions that on reflection meet the criteria of 'divide and rule'. There is no external review of this process that can assess it fairly.

7. The work of the Scoping Inquiry team, and in particular the Survivor Engagement process which gathered testimony from hundreds of Survivors, proceeds. 

While it proceeds, Survivors needs remain unmet. 

Mark Vincent Healy has been explicit on this. He speaks from long experience, supporting  and advocating for vulnerable survivors for over a decade.

The offer of three counselling sessions, rather than open ended support of that kind for as long as each survivor requires, is clearly inadequate.

And there is the question of economic support for Survivors.

8. The Scoping Inquiry team employed to take submissions from Survivors understand that they are taking a small sample, a point repeatedly made by Mark Vincent Healy.

9. Nonetheless, given the depth of the information and insight the interview team have been given by Survivors, they have asked for more time to assess that material - to ensure an exacting and detailed analysis be carried out, by experts in the field, to present a report to Government to accurately inform the decision making that will determine the terms of reference and task of a future Public Inquiry.

10. Most Survivors I am in touch with understand that it must be a Judicial Level Inquiry that has real power to hold the Schools and their operators to account, has the power to request documents, call witnesses before it, under perjury notice. The whole truth, nothing but the truth.

11. Mark Ryan did not get the full support he deserved. None of us have. David Ryan, his brother is not getting the full support he deserves. None of the Survivors who attended his funeral and his memorial are getting the support they need and deserve. Thousands of others today and many tens of thousands of children who were routinely abused in the most depraved manner over the last 70 years never got the support and care they deserved.

That must be corrected. We know that the ACE study and others have provided ample scientific and medical evidence that repeated trauma, multiple adverse childhood experiences, is a leading cause of early death in Survivors.

12. As one Survivor put it, speaking from within a counselling group: "We should not be friends. Our bond as Survivors is there only because we were victimised, and that should never have happened."

Eulogies for the lost can be moving and comforting, yet they are inadequate to the current needs of living Survivors - we need and indeed we deserve so much more than words.

13. We need and demand concrete action to support us, we need and demand concrete action to record the true history of what was done to us, and how the adverse impacts of that flowed through our bodies, our hearts and minds, and how it percolated through Irish Society - it did not 'happen', it was done - to so many children, for so long.

"The psychology of any given family, community or culture is both revealed and perpetuated in how they relate to and treat the most vulnerable among them. Change that and you can change everything."

Make the changes we need, and do it with robust commitment. We will continue to advocate for our case, even as we face the very real possibility of early deaths that might preclude our being there when Justice is delivered in full.

Kindest Regards

Corneilius Crowley, London.


Kindest regards

Corneilius

Thank you for reading this blog.

"Do what you love, it is your gift to universe."

This blog, like all my other content creation work is not monetised via advertising. If you like what I present, consider sharing my content. If you can afford the price of a cup of coffee or a pint of beer/ale/cider for a few months, please donate via my Patreon account.

https://patreon.com/corneilius - donations gratefully received

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#music

Make Education Safe Again : II - a letter from a 12 year old student, a letter from a concerned, responsible parent and a People's Inquiry

~
September 2021, I published a blog entitled 'Make Education Safe Again'. In this blog I collated some of the evidence a) that schools as they were set in September leading into the autumn term were unsafe for children and teachers alike and b) that we know well how to make them safe for children and teachers and c) what the implications of the persistent demand by this Government that schools, unsafe as they are, remain open were. We could see the harm ahead of time, which by definition tells us that that harm was avoidable. To refuse to avoid avoidable harms, to children, is gross negligence.

Independent SAGE have published a series of papers, outlining rational, proven methods to make schools safer, to suppress transmission among children and teachers.  These recommendations are well reasoned, by experts in epidemiology, virology, immunology and behavioural science and economics. The Government has not been able to counter with a rational evidence based response. Their stance is to ignore and deny, and to persist with placing our children and their teachers in harms way. This is an atrocity.
~
Then The New Statesman published a story on November 15th, which revealed why the government imposed unsafe schools, demanded full attendance, issued dictats to that end. The policy was designed to use children as superspreaders to deliver a booster to vaccinated adults in their community, the assumption being that a) children do not get seriously ill with Covid and b) wild reinfection confers greater immunity to those vaccinated, and to those who are not vaccinated. This assumption was promoted by the JVCI.  
~
The title of the piece was 'How the UK sleepwalked into another Covid disaster' subtitled  'By failing to prevent the rapid spread of coronavirus in schools, Boris Johnson has thrown children and adults to the wolves.'

I wrote that that headline was inaccurate, This Government was not asleep, they were fully awake and aware of the situation, and they chose, consciously, to impose the role of superspreaders upon all our school children and their teachers.
~
December 5th 2021 - Rates of Infection recorded, which are likely lower than actual rates, as asymptomatic cases might not be detected, and even these are only estimated, let alone recorded.

Infection rates amongst 5-9 year old children,  December 5 2021

1% of total population of 5.6 million children is ... 50,000 per day..

~

A child wrote a letter to her MP, Michelle McIlveen, DUP. describing her reality. The letter is remarkable in two regards. The 12 year old child has clearly got a better understanding of the situation than most News Media Journalists and MPs, which she articulates precisely. Her concern for the welfare of others is similarly advanced in comparison to both those groups of adults. Intelligence and empathy, qualities lacking in Government and the News Media with regards to this epidemic.
~
A parent writes a letter to her school, who have been threatening her with fines and court action, because she withdrew her child from school, on the basis that the school was an unsafe environment, putting her child and her family at risk, and by extension putting the entire community that used that school at risk, of contracting the virus.
~

The Good Law Project is taking up the case, has written pre-action letters to some councils, and will be presenting to the courts, if they do not heed the warning. Courts whose rulings this Government wishes to create and legislate the right of Ministers to throw out, ignore and otherwise abrogate. Democratic accountability undermined as Government Policy?

~




The People's Inquiry 2021 led by Micheal Mansfield, QC, one of the UK's leading Human Rights Lawyers, produced a report that detailed the many failures of this Government, (Executive Summary) and made the case for a series of criminal charges and civil litigations.  Misconduct in Public Office, failures to uphold Human Rights Law, The Right to Health and other statuary obligations to protect the populations health during a pandemic. The full report is a document that  makes for sombre reading indeed. It is fully evidenced.

https://www.peoplescovidinquiry.com

Every school, care home, work place ought to have at least one hard copy of the executive summary on the premises, made available to it's constituents,  and efforts should be made by management and parents groups at every school, care facility and workplace to share the document electronically amongst students, teachers and workers to assure maximal reach. 

~

The behaviour of the Johnson Government is criminally negligent in intent, horrifically harmful in action and is a clear and present threat to the health and safety of 77 million people over whom they now Rule as an emerging elective dictatorship. The combination of an 80 seat majority and the desire to enact legislation that curtails public protest, allows ministers to reject court rulings they dislike and much else that egregiously undermines democratic oversight and accountability leads towards an elected dictatorship. No question.

 That this case - this Johnson Regime's criminal behaviour is a direct and serious threat to the welfare of the people - is not being made across the National News Media nor in Parliament, be it the House of Commons or The House of Lords, is a national scandal enabling a national atrocity. Following from Iraq and Austerity this is the worst offence and abrogation of Duty of Care and Human Rights Law by any English Government in the last century.

'Let the Herd take it on the chin, protect the Hoard' : The Johnson Government  policy position explained, placed in it's historical context. Only the transparent most honest telling of the truth can set us free.

~

It is neither a neutral nor a morally viable and honest centrist position to stand between Good and Evil, (Protection of The People from Harm and Harm Causation to The People), and to then claim to be asserting a balanced view. We must always err on the side of the good.

~

This Government must face a vote of no confidence, supported by the majority of the population, carried through by Parliament and be dismissed, routed and removed. A government of national unity must be installed to manage this pandemic in the best interests of the people. No question.

Write to your MP and your local councillors :  https://www.theyworkforyou.com


Kindest regards

Corneilius

Thank you for reading this blog.

"Do what you love, it is your gift to universe."

This blog, like all my other content creation work is not monetised via advertising. If you like what I present, consider sharing my content. If you can afford the price of a cup of coffee or a pint of beer/ale/cider for a few months, please donate via my Patreon account.

https://patreon.com/corneilius - donations gratefully received

https://www.reverbnation.com/corneilius - .mp3 songs

https://www.soundcloud.com/coreluminous - .wav Songs

https://www.corneilius.net - Archive

#folkmusic
#singersongwriter
#blogger
#music

Letter to UK and Irish News Papers : Elimination Strategy is proven - why gamble with our lives?


What will he do? What must we endure? Why?

To the Editor

The evidence from a number of detailed studies shows that countries that opt for rapid action to eliminate community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 by  transparently engaging the well informed support of their citizens  better protect their health, their  economies and minimise restrictions on civil liberties compared with those that strive for mitigation aka 'living with the virus'. 

1.8 billion people's health and their economies have been spared the ravages inflicted upon the UK, USA, Brazil and the EU.

Importantly, elimination has been framed as a civic solidarity approach that will restore civil liberties the soonest, protect the healthy and the vulnerable and stabilise the economy; this focus on common purpose is frequently neglected in the political debate in these islands.

Stopping the spread is spreading the love.

In the UK and Ireland, and elsewhere, a new variant that is more transmissible, that is showing signs of significant vaccine escape, is surging and there are no mechanisms in place to suppress it.

Why is it that the evidence for elimination strategy is being ignored by Governments, Parliaments and the bulk of News Media?

Are we to endure more death and disease?

To what end does it serve to set the bar at 'living with the virus'?

Why must we gamble with citizens lives in such manner?

Yours sincerely,

Corneilius Crowley

(Address with the Editor.)

It's beyond belief: Dido Harding - the Conservative crony who oversaw the catastrophe of Test and Trace - is applying to run the NHS. Dr. Rachel Clarke - who has seen first hand what the government did to the NHS and country during the pandemic - beautifully rips apart this absolute affront. Rachel points out that prior to the Covid19 Epidemic, the NHS waiting lists were in the region of 4 million cases. Also heads up on Michael Gove's plan to rerig the NHS in a top down manner, led by Sajid Javid, the Duetche Bank executive who helped crash the banks in 2008 who has taken over from super spreader Snogger Hancock.
13 Minutes. Beautiful. Clarity.



#Sajid_Javid_is_not_the_answer
#COVID19
#JohnsonMustGo

Kindest regards

Corneilius

"Do what you love, it is your gift to universe."

Letter from an Irish man, trapped in London.

"Dear Sir/Madam, Dear Editors.
Repeatedly we see decisions that are made by the UK Government that exacerbate the situation - whether it is inadequate income support for workers or lack of PPE stockpiles for frontline Staff, cancellation of orders for essential kit then transferred to other companies closer to the Conservative Party's donor group, repeated off the cuff lies - all stemming from a crazy 'take it on the chin' policy.
As an Irish citizen trapped in the UK I am reminded of Sir Charles Trevelyan during the mid Victorian era. Who took what on whose chin? For what?
Repeatedly means deliberately, just as DWP policy on sanctions as a motivator of behavioural change is clearly a deliberate policy that goes ahead in spite of the harms it causes.
Why the other leaders of political parties, why editors and pundits and international leaders are not screaming for a cross party government led by all leaders, informed by epidemiological science and best practice is beyond me...
We are all enabling a terrible catastrophe by our deference and silence.
Yours sincerely,
Corneilius Crowley...
Ten ways the uk government policy is making things worse - read more

my short song for NHS PPE kit...


Kindest regards

Corneilius

"Do what you love, it's Your Gift to Universe"

Thank you for reading this blog. All we need to do is be really honest, responsive to the evidence we find,and ready to reassess when new evidence emerges. The rest is easy.

Letter : Church’s brazen request for more funds: and a response from a Catholic supporter!

Church’s brazen request for more funds

Letter published in The Examiner, Friday, October 21, 2011

A Chara,

PARISH priests in the Cork and Ross diocese have introduced two new quarterly collections to meet a deficit in their finances.

One of the costs they are claiming is that of implementing best practice child protection policies.

Diocesan leader Bishop John Buckley said: "Two collections would be needed every three months from now on, to ensure the diocese had enough funds to carry out its day-to-day duties."

How brazen a move is this, in the aftermath of the Cloyne Report, to urge parishioners to cough up the cash that ought more properly be sourced from the Diocese’s property portfolio, or the Vatican direct, whose fiduciary responsibility in this matter is abundantly clear, in that it was the Vatican’s instructions to bishops that led the policy of denial, intimidation, secret settlements and avoidance of their legal and moral duty to report criminal acts to the civil authorities?

Given that the Irish taxpayer is facing a bill of €30 million, under a contractual obligation entered into by Bertie Ahern’s government, to pay the legal costs of the Church’s "contributions" to the various Governmental Statuary Reports, is it not time to counter sue the Church?

We could do so in the light of the Cloyne Report, to void those contractual obligations on the basis of fraud — that the Church made public commitments to the welfare of children and survivors it had no intention of delivering on.

Bishop John Buckley also noted that the extra funds would not be "used to compensate abuse victims".

How sad it is that parishioners are still willing to contribute to a Church so utterly unwilling to behave in an honourable manner on an issue of such grave importance, not least to the welfare of people from within their own communities?

What would Jesus say?

Corneilius Crowley 
Harrow
London
England

---------------------------------
On Wedensday, 26th October 2011 I received by post the following letter.


"Dear Mr. Crowley,

Reference to your letter in the Irish Examiner as to the priests in the Cork & Ross diocese seeking extra collections. Glad to hear that somebody in London is suffering from anxiety about the Church affairs and the need to sue it.

Many regret they were not abused, as they could afford to have a good deposit on a house - maybe you yourself are suffering from this regret or possibly not being able to claim from Bishop Buckleys collection like many are or is there some innate desperation still bugging you -- you need help or counselling without delay.

You ask what Jesus would say? He'd say 'get behind me you Pharasee.'

I enclose an article of defamation against a priest which you can read, this is only one of many cases brought  to court by priests here against false claims.

I trust that the counselling sessions will help you in so many ways, especially if you are working with others in your job.

Yours sincerely

"
I leave the senders name out for now....The article he sent was cut from The Universe, Dated October 16, 2011 (page 2) and told the story of the return of a priest ( against whom allegations were made, that have been proven false, but were broadcast as valid, by RTE, the Irish State Television station, in a program produced by  Prime Time, entitled, "A Mission to Prey") to his parish.

--------------

I WILL respond, and explain the situation in some detail. I am not offended by this letter, because it says nothing about me, though it says volumes about the person who wrote it!

Being offended is a choice, as Australian comic, Steve Hughes points out :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cycXuYzmzNg

I choose because I am mature enough to understand what Steve Hughes points out.


2. The assumptions the writer makes about me are without foundation. I KNOW this. The writer does not. His assumptions reveal more about him than they say anything about me.

His assumptions are false, yet the intent of his words are intended to be abusive, in that he makes a number of rather snide allegations:

I will deal with each point in his letter, in due course....


Kindest regards

Corneilius

Do what you love, it's Your Gift to Universe










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Open Letter to ALL Irish Presidential Candidates

Open Letter to ALL Irish Presidential Candidates

info@michaeldhiggins.ie

mary@marydavis.ie

info@danaforpresident.ie

together@seangallagher.com

admin@thepeoplespresident.ie – Martin McGuinness

Gay Mitchell, via his website email


Info@davidnorris4president.com


October 2011

A Chara,

One of the most important issues for Irish Society as a whole, a thread that runs through almost every issue, is the welfare and safety of our children.

I write as an interested Irish Citizen and as a Survivor.

The question is this : Is Ireland a safe place for ALL the children, and are their futures being protected and nurtured in ways that will meet all their natural needs as growing people, who will in turn become the adults who craft their society?

With this in mind, we can consider the following issues : Institutional Abuse, Historical Trauma, The Environment, State Education, Spirituality, Ethics….

The story of Institutional Abuse is no-where near resolving itself. Out of 26 Dioceses, over a two decades of Survivors witness Testimony and action in the courts and elsewhere, only 4 have ‘reported’ on this, and none of these have been fully comprehensive, nor have we seen a full and frank disclosure by the State or by The Church as to the extent of the abuse culture, the identification of perpetrators nor are there reliable support services in place with a proven track record of healing trauma.

Even still there is resistance to what is needed here, from the Church, from within various State Institutions and from within the community at large, especially those who have allegiances to the Church, and those who in one way or another share some responsibility for the neglect of Survivors.

Historical trauma (HT) is cumulative emotional and psychological wounding, over the lifespan and across generations, emanating from massive group trauma.

Sinead O’Connor alluded to this in her song ‘Famine’. There is clear evidence that suggests the corruption and dysfunction in Irish Society has some of it’s roots in Historical Trauma. This is not to provide and excuse for abuse, though it is a call to evoke an understanding of the dynamics and roots of dysfunctional behaviours so as to heal and to prevent further dysfunction.

The Office of Irish President is a public voice from which this element of the story of the Irish people could be advocated, indeed it ought to be a primary concern, given the massive failures of DeValera, and subsequent Presidents in this regard.

As regards the Environment, that is to say the space within which our children’s children will live, it’s clear that there is much work to be done to bring to an end the massive use of pesticides, herbicides, pollutants, NKP fertilisers, the use of non-renewable ‘resources’ and the re-habilitation of land use and occupation. To the degree that all these affect the welfare of children, such as the presence of DDT in mothers breast milk, the presence of pesticides in the foetus these activities could be described as child abuse.

As regards State Education, we have to look at the homogenisation of childhood experience, the processes of indoctrination, secular or religious, and the fact that whilst many do benefit, so many more do not benefit, because Compulsory State Education is not geared to respond to the natural variation and diversity of children’s behaviour and perception, and that it undermines their natural autonomy by refusing to afford them opportunities to develop that autonomy. The use of Ritalin and other similar ‘medications’ is clearly adverse to children’s welfare.

To tell an adult what to think, with sanctions applied for any reasonable dissent, is rightfully felt or sensed by all adults as abusive. Why then is it the case that this is considered appropriate for children?

And with regard to Spirituality and Ethics, unless empathy lies at the core of both these areas, they become adverse to the health of any community.

The behaviour of the Church reveals this to be the case. There are, of course many other examples of this adversity – fraud, corruption in politics, war as a tool of State policy etc etc…

I write to you to ask that you declare your views on these crucial matters, aware that you will have no statuary power as such, compared to the Dail and the Legislature, yet nonetheless you will have a platform from which to urge change, to inspire a deeper and more relevant discourse, and that this ought to be your primary concern and responsibility in your role as President of The Irish State, as a statesperson representing the hopes and concerns of the Irish people at home and abroad, noting that you will of course, be remunerated by the Irish taxpayer.

Yours sincerely

Corneilius Crowley
3 Sherwood Road,
South Harrow
London HA2 8AW




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My letter published in the Examiner Paper, Ireland 

sent to all UK media and the NY times..

A caring society?

Friday, September 23, 2011

To the Editor,
As a survivor of institutional abuse I would like to clarify something regarding recent press commentary concerning the relationship between the Irish State and The Vatican.

It’s not merely a matter of observing the law, as quoted of Mr Gilmore, but of the inherent duty of care to all our children, which is emergent in each and every human being. Children deserve to be fully nurtured, such that they are recognised as equals, even if smaller in size, and protection from abuse is but one part of that dynamic.

This is less about the relationship between the Irish State and The Vatican than it is about the relationship between the adult world and the children’s world, and in the end, it is about whether or not our society is truly nurturant.

Corneilius Crowley



Kindest regards

Corneilius

Do what you love, it's Your Gift to Universe


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Defending the Indefensible : the Confessional Secrecy

http://examiner.ie/opinion/letters/seal-of-confession-must-not-be-broken-161323.html

A letter published in the Examiner, an Irish broadsheet, on 18th July, the weekend after the publishing of the Cloyne Report, which detailed the devious, manipulative and malign behaviour of  Irish Clerical Hierarchy in their 'response' to the 'abuse scandal', detailing the most appalling behaviour at the highest levels, from 1996 to 2008, in which the writer wrote :

"AS the father of a family and as a normal human being I am as appalled as anybody else at the abuse of minors by those in positions of authority, which includes (but is by no means most prevalent among) members of the Catholic clergy.

But by what insanity does the Fine Gael/Labour coalition think it can legislate to prosecute priests who do keep inviolate the unbreakable seal of the confessional?

No doctor or lawyer or other person in a position of confidence can ever be compelled to do this.

It is a very painful thing for them when they hear certain things in their professional capacity, but only a tiny dose of maturity is needed to realise that confidentiality must be respected in these special cases for the greater good of society.

And a priest especially has vowed to protect the confessional seal with his life blood — as so many have testified down the ages.

In the case of a guilty party confessing, the normal procedure would be to withhold absolution until the culprit has given himself up to the secular authorities — just as with certain other very serious sins. Shame on the perpetrators of this disgraceful opportunistic suggestion.


Yours etc....

This is my response to that letter :

Micheál Ó Fearghail, Glanmire in a letter to the Examiner 18th July 2011 wrote, defending the sacred nature of the confessional, that :

"In the case of a guilty party confessing, the normal procedure would be to withhold absolution until the culprit has given himself up to the secular authorities — just as with certain other very serious sins."

Can he, or anyone else for that matter, furnish substantiated evidence that this is the normal procedure of a priest hearing the confession of another priest, nun, bishop or any other clergy confessing to serious crimes?

Can he say that a priest, upon hearing such a confession, would urge such action, that is for the perpetrator to hand him or herself over to the civil authorities, given that the Pope and others in authority have prohibited such disclosures without their consent, with the sanction of ex-communication for any priest who might break that prohibition, in a fit of ill advised decency?

If a priest, or any person, who has sexually assaulted a child, wishes to confess, ought that person themselves, if they feel true remorse for what they have done, not be the one's to approach the civil authorities, and then seek a confession under Christian 'ethics'?

Has this ever happened?

Shame on Micheál Ó Fearghail, for writing "Shame on the perpetrators of this disgraceful opportunistic suggestion."

Shame on the writer for making assumptions such as he does, when we know that worldwide, the numbers of children grievously harmed, whether it be in Aboriginal Boarding Schools (Canada, USA, Australia, Africa) or European 'care' Institutions, Magdalene Laundries, Orphanages etc... can be counted in their hundreds of thousands...

When we know, even still, that the hierarchy of the Catholic Church is protecting known abusers, obstructing justice and more, merely to protect it's 'image'?

Shame! A shame that tarnishes the name of Christ, which it would appear is of less importance than the Power and Status of the Institutional Church, and certainly of less value than the lives of so many children, and the lives of so many survivors. 



-------------------


Kindest regards

Corneilius

Do what you love, it's Your Gift to Universe







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Alcoholism, Institutional Abuse and The Cloyne Report

A Chara,

The Examiner, The Irish Independent and other media in Ireland, has reported on the increase in deaths involving alcohol.

I studied the dynamics of Alcoholism many, many years ago, and the evidence suggests strongly that rather than it being a 'disease' or the FAULT of the alcoholic, it is a behaviour pattern that emerges in communities where feelings and experiences are not allowed to be fully expressed, where pain is suppressed and it's very much about masking subconscious, hidden or 'unwanted' feelings.

What was also clear from those studies was that children who grow up in an Alcoholic home environment also learn to mask certain feelings, and tend NOT to become Alcoholics BECAUSE they have seen it, yet DO still mask their feelings, and adopt other strategies to maintain that mask. And what these studies also showed was that there was a tendency or a trend whereby the NEXT generation, who hadn't seen the Alcoholic behaviour would be likely to use alcohol to mask pain and feelings....

You see, the child grows up in the psychological milieu of his or her parents and his or her social structures and has to 'adapt' in order to 'fit in'. That adapting process most often means that certain key needs are not met, that many feelings are not expressed, and that the pain of not being treated with empathy is masked by : consumerism,adverse  nationalism, religiosity and 'addictions' : behaviours that are learned.

Consider this. The Irish History of the last 200 years includes the FAMINE, two world wars and a civil war, and intense poverty.

The vast majority of the people who went through these TRAUMA were able to resolve those painful experiences ... and so the patterns of intergenerational dysfunction continued, as they will always do, until they are recognised and dealt with, with empathy, with nurturant intent, with grace....



I wrote some years ago about the need for empathy, for honesty, for the placing of the needs of all our children at the very centre of Society such that then we may say : Our Society is truly decent.


The Cloyne Report is published today, and we can say that the behaviour of the Churches and Orders, and the Government and HSE thus far has left so much undone that needs to be done with regard to the honest appraisal of the realities.


Let us not waste any more time. There is work to be done, and our children's children will thank us for it, let alone the relief it will provide to living survivors and their families.
Kindest Regards

Corneilius Crowley


London


Do what you love, it's Your Gift to Universe




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Letter to Media : The 'Troubled' Church


To the Editor,

Regarding an editorial in the Irish Independent, dated May 12th, entitled "A New Day of Shame for Troubled Church" your opening line was as follows: "FEW institutions have taken as severe a battering as the Catholic Church"

I would like to point out that the 'battering' the Church has taken is nothing compared to the harms, assaults, batterings, humiliations that so many children have suffered for such along time.

Let it be that that is NEVER forgotten or minimised in any way, wittingly or unwittingly.

The willingness, of The Church as an Institution, and of it's officials, even still, to mask and deny, to obstruct and suppress the truth says it clearly.

The recent audit of their Child Protection process which revealed that over 290 cases were obscured from view reiterates what I am saying.

If the ethics of Jesus were at all alive in The Church, (and elsewhere) there'd be whistle blowers aplenty, bringing forth evidence so that the accounting was well under way, and Survivors would find comfort and succour in that the necessary steps towards Restorative Justice were being taken.

Kindest Regards

Corneilius Crowley

This letter is in response to an editorial in The Irish Independent, dated May 12th, entitled "A new day of shame for troubled church"



Kindest regards

Corneilius

Do what you love, it's Your Gift to Universe


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Regarding the news media reports on Monday the 14th of February 2011 about the Church's potential collapse in Ireland.


To the editor,

Regarding the news media reports on Monday the 14th of February 2011 about the Church's potential collapse in Ireland.

If the Church had put up it's hands, had opened up and allowed those abuser priests to be brought to justice, and had offered to make Restorative Justice a material reality for all Survivors, the Church would have become a 21st Century Hero Institute.

Instead the Church denied, covered up, blamed others, engaged in crisis management and intimidated those who pursued legal course of justice, Survivors and their advocates alike, employing techniques they KNEW would re-traumatise Survivors just to knock them down, or throw them off balance.

This is a criminal act in and of it self, pouring more salt on the already unspeakable wounds inflicted on Survivors.

For this is deserves to be utterly dis-established, its wealth taken in it's entirety to provide material support for all Survivors. Not as an act of revenge, but as an act of Restorative Justice. No survivor that I know of wishes harm to anyone.

Those State Governments and Institutions that have co-operated with the Church, or denied their own involvement must also shoulder their portion of the responsibility.

Those of Faith can continue to practice their Faith at the grass roots whilst assisting in the processes that will bring true Restorative Justice if they wish for their Faithfulness to be taken seriously.

If they don't, are they in danger of denying the teachings of Jesus?

What would Jesus do?
Kindest regards

Corneilius

Do what you love, it's Your Gift to Universe




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Letter Published Examiner Ireland 24 January 2011

Here's a pdf file of letter published in The Examiner, and Irish Daily Broadsheet, based in Cork, Ireland.

The text is as follows :

THE residential school system story and all that goes with it is a far greater crime than the IMF story.

It is a crime in which the Irish State and the Vatican are equal partners. No party in Ireland at present can say it has dealt with this issue decently, honourably. What is it that stops the Irish people from defending the survivors, from demanding that those who protect the Vatican, who indemnify the Vatican and themselves from civil and criminal liability, be brought to account?

One thing I have noticed is the absolute silence on abuses within the elite fee-paying boarding schools which occurred — I know I was there. I am a survivor.

Ireland and its people need group therapy and fast. Without looking at the psychology, the intergenerational patterns of abuse and their effects, without understanding how the abused are forced to 'adapt'  to a situation where abuse is constant, no future Irish government will do any better.

"The ordinary response to atrocities is to banish them from consciousness. Certain violations of the social compact are too terrible to utter aloud: this is the meaning of the word unspeakable.

Atrocities, however, refuse to be buried. Equally as powerful as the desire to deny atrocities is the conviction that denial does not work. Folk wisdom is filled with ghosts who refuse to rest in their graves until their stories are told."

Remember what Judith Herman wrote: “Remembering and telling the truth about terrible events are prerequisites both for the restoration of the social order and for the healing of individual victims.”




Kindest regards

Corneilius

Do what you love, it's Your Gift to Universe





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