Rik Torfs is een voormalig christendemocratisch politicus. Vandaag is hij hoogleraar kerkelijk recht aan de KU Leuven waar hij tot 2017 rector was. Daarbuiten is hij een veelgevraagd mediafiguur, en staat hij bekend voor zijn scherpe uitspraken op sociale media. Wij voerden een gesprek over de toen nog niet gevormde regering, de coronacrisis, Marc Van Ranst, zijn kijk op geluk en zijn grootste sterktes en zwaktes
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Unearthing the Truth: Revealing hidden realities and uncovering facts to shed light on critical issues and uncover hidden narratives.
IRELAND’S PANDORA’S BOX: TUAM Mother & Baby Home
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20 jan 2024 RADIO ESPIAL
The Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home (also known as St Mary’s Mother and Baby Home) operated between 1925 and 1961 in the town of Tuam, County Galway, Ireland. It was a maternity home for unmarried mothers and their children and run by the Bon Secours Sisters, a religious order of Catholic nuns, that also operated the Grove Hospital in Tuam. Unmarried pregnant women were sent to there to give birth and interned for a year doing unpaid work.
In 2012, the Health Service Executive (HSE) raised concerns that up to 1,000 children from the Home might have been sent to the United States for the purpose of illegal adoptions, without their mothers’ consent. Subsequent research discovered files relating to a lower number of 36 illegal foreign adoptions from the home and concluded that allegations of foreign adoptions for money were “impossible to prove and impossible to disprove”.
Local historian Catherine Corless published an article documenting the history of the home in 2012. The following year, she uncovered the names of the many children who died in the home from the Births & Deaths office. In 2014, Anna Corrigan uncovered the inspection reports of the home, which noted that the most commonly recorded causes of death among the infants were congenital debilities, infectious diseases and malnutrition (including marasmus-related malnutrition). Corless’ research led her to conclude that almost all had been buried in an unmarked and unregistered site at the Home, and the article claimed that there was a high death rate of residents. Corless estimated that nearly 800 children had died at the home.
The Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home was investigated by the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation, a statutory commission of investigation under Judge Yvonne Murphy. Excavations carried out between November 2016 and February 2017, ordered by the Commission, found a significant quantity of human remains, aged from 35 foetal weeks to two to three years, interred in “a vault with twenty chambers”. Carbon dating confirmed that the remains date from the time the home was operated by the Bon Secours order. The Commission said that it was shocked by the discovery, and that it would continue its investigation into who was responsible for the disposal of human remains in this way.
Corless’s original research noted that the site was also the location of a septic tank when overlaid with maps of the period of use as a workhouse. The 2017 report by an Expert Technical Group, commissioned by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, confirmed that the vault was a sewage tank after reviewing historical records and conducting a magnetometer survey; it concluded, “The combination of an institutional boarding home and commingled interments of juvenile remains in a sewage treatment system is a unique situation, with no directly comparable domestic or international cases.”
In October 2018, the Irish government announced that it would introduce legislation to facilitate a full excavation of the mass grave and site, and for forensic DNA testing to be carried out on the remains, at a cost estimated to be between €6 and €13 million. The Mother and Baby Home Commission finalised its report in 2020, and it was published in January 2021. The Bon Secours Sisters issued an apology in the wake of the report’s publication, stating “We did not live up to our Christianity when running the Home.” In May 2023, a team of forensic investigators was tasked with exhuming, analysing and identifying the remains.
In 1975, two boys, ages 10 and 12, were playing at the site of the former Mother and Baby Home. They found a hole or chamber “filled to the brim” with children’s skeletons underneath a concrete slab. The number of bodies was then unknown, but was assumed to be small. It was re-sealed shortly afterwards, following prayers at the site by a priest. For the next 35 years the burial site was tended to by a local couple, who also built a small grotto there.
IRELAND’S PANDORA’S BOX – Mother & Baby Homes – is the account of its survivors, their families, and the unravelling of one of the Irish state and church’s biggest scandals.
Unearth
To discover something in the ground:
Building at the site was halted after human remains were unearthed earlier this month.
To discover proof or some other information, especially after careful searching:
A private detective has unearthed some fresh evidence.
Cambridge Dictionary
Ireland’s Mother and Baby Scandal refers to the discovery of widespread abuse, neglect, and mistreatment of unmarried pregnant women and their infants in Ireland, primarily during the 20th century. The scandal, which came to light in recent years, has revealed shocking revelations about the treatment of vulnerable women and children in institutions run by the Catholic Church and the Irish state. Here are some key points about Ireland’s Mother and Baby Scandal:
Forced Separation: Unmarried pregnant women, often referred to as “fallen women,” were routinely stigmatized and ostracized by Irish society during the 20th century. Many of these women were sent to institutions, such as mother and baby homes, where they were forced to give birth and then separated from their babies against their will. It is estimated that tens of thousands of women and their babies were affected by this practice.
High Mortality Rates: Shocking mortality rates have been revealed in these institutions, with reports of high infant mortality rates and mass graves discovered at some sites. Many babies died from neglect, malnutrition, and lack of proper medical care. It is believed that the harsh living conditions, overcrowding, and inadequate care contributed to these high mortality rates.
Abuse and Neglect: Survivors and witnesses have come forward with accounts of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, as well as neglect, in these institutions. Women and children were subjected to harsh living conditions, with overcrowded and unsanitary facilities, and were often subjected to harsh discipline and punishment.
Systemic Failures: The scandal has revealed systemic failures at multiple levels, including the Irish state, the Catholic Church, and other institutions involved in the care of unmarried pregnant women and their infants. There have been allegations of collusion between church and state, as well as attempts to cover up the abuse and mistreatment of women and children.
Apologies and Investigations: In response to the scandal, the Irish government and the Catholic Church have issued apologies to the survivors and victims of the Mother and Baby homes. The Irish government has initiated investigations, including the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes, which published its final report in 2021, detailing the abuses and failures of the institutions involved.
Calls for Justice and Reparations: Survivors, advocates, and human rights organizations have called for justice and reparations for the victims of Ireland’s Mother and Baby Scandal. This includes demands for accountability, prosecutions for those responsible for the abuses, and reparations in the form of compensation and support for survivors.
Social and Cultural Impact: The scandal has had a significant social and cultural impact on Ireland, with many people questioning the role of the Catholic Church in Irish society and the treatment of unmarried pregnant women and their babies. It has prompted discussions and reflections on issues such as gender, sexuality, reproductive rights, and the treatment of marginalized groups in Irish history and society.
In summary, Ireland’s Mother and Baby Scandal has exposed a dark chapter in Irish history, revealing widespread abuse, neglect, and mistreatment of unmarried pregnant women and their infants in institutions run by the Catholic Church and the Irish state. The scandal has led to apologies, investigations, calls for justice, and significant social and cultural impact on Ireland.
The girls of Bessborough
The girls of Bessborough
The walls were high and the wrought-iron gates opened on to a long, winding avenue.
At the end was a once-grand three-storey Georgian mansion in one of the better-off, sleepy suburbs of Cork city.
It was 1960, and Bridget arrived with a single suitcase and a rose-pink coat with a belt. She felt immediately uneasy.
“Everything was hidden from the outside, surrounded by shrubbery and trees. People couldn’t see in.”
Once through the door, her clothes, her savings book, her small stud earrings and her bracelet were taken from her. She was given a uniform – clogs and a starched denim dress.
Bridget – like the other arrivals – was told not to speak about her life outside. All of them were given a different name. Hers was Alma – but she couldn’t get used to it.
None of the girls had committed any crime. But they had two things in common.
They were all unmarried and they were all pregnant.
At Bessborough, the long rooms of the girls’ quarters were on the top floor, looking out towards the cemetery.
The nuns called them all “girls”, but in truth the residents were anything from 13 to 30.
Bridget was 17 when she arrived. She was there because she had sinned, or so the nuns told her, by falling pregnant.
This was a mother and baby home, not a prison. Legally, Bridget and the other girls could have left at any time.
But in practice it wasn’t as simple as that. Any girl who ran away might find themselves rounded up by the police. And in any case, for the vast majority there was just nowhere else for them to go.
Each girl admitted to the home knew they would give birth there and stay until their baby was adopted – as long as three years.
They weren’t allowed outside except for short walks around the grounds and they had to be accompanied.
They were all given jobs. Some worked in the kitchens or in the red-bricked laundry building.
Bridget worked nights in a small room off the labour ward. Even in the quieter times, there was little chance to rest.
“We had to scrub the passageway… a massive wide passage with multi-coloured tiles on it.”
Occasionally she fed babies in a nursery lined with rows of cots. Another nursery held toddlers up until the age of three.
Bridget and the other girls were only allowed to spend about 30 minutes with each child. She doesn’t remember any toys.
“Some of the babies, they’d still hold their hands out. They didn’t want you to let go of them.”
When a new girl arrived the others would quiz her about what was in the papers, desperate for some connection with life outside.
There were no calendars. All the days merged into one – an anxious wait for the birth and then for the inevitable separation from their children.
The girls signed release forms to allow for the adoptions but they were under overwhelming pressure to do so. They knew they couldn’t return to their families with their babies.
Joan, who worked in the kitchen, showed Bridget her toddler. He had a rash on his face and every day she prayed it wouldn’t heal in the hope that would stop him being adopted.
Another mother, Josie, showed off the intricate cardigans she was making for a small, dark-haired child. The little girl, who now goes by the name Mari Steed, went on to be adopted by a Catholic family in the US.
June Goulding, a midwife who worked there in 1951, describes in her memoir the procedure for handing over the children.
Without warning, babies and toddlers would be washed and dressed up in new clothes and given to their mothers.
They would walk down a long passageway to a door that opened on to the nuns’ quarters where the children would be taken from their arms.
“The girls stood at the doorways watching this heartrending scene and the mother’s uncontrolled crying could be heard all along that long corridor,” wrote June Goulding.
“I witnessed the horrific ritual that would be repeated for each and every mother and baby in this hellhole.”
Your truth shine’s because no one else possesses it. Your job is to unearth. Recognize
Unearth: to discover something in the ground:
Building at the site was halted after human remains were unearthed earlier this month.
to discover proof or some other information, especially after careful searching:
A private detective has unearthed some fresh evidence.
Cambridge Dictionary
In de ziel van Rik Torfs: over humor, geluk en filosofische levensvragen
The Magdalene Laundries in Ireland, also known as Magdalene asylums, were institutions usually run by Roman Catholic orders, which operated from the 18th to the late 20th centuries. They were run ostensibly to house “fallen women”, an estimated 30,000 of whom were confined in these institutions in Ireland.
In 1993, unmarked graves of 155 women were uncovered in the convent grounds of one of the laundries.
This led to media revelations about the operations of the secretive institutions.
Ireland’s stolen children fight for justice | DW Documentary
24 okt 2023
Getting pregnant out of wedlock was long seen as a disgrace in Catholic Ireland. By 1998, more than 50,000 women had had their babies taken away and given up for adoption. Many of these children are now trying to trace their birth mothers.
They are also fighting for their plight to be recognized at last. Contraception and abortion were long banned, sex before marriage taboo, and sex education was practically non-existent. If a woman, nevertheless, fell pregnant, she was generally treated as the “guilty” party even if she had been raped. Whoever was unable or unwilling to have an illegal abortion abroad had no further say over the matter. The priest was informed and he decided whether the woman would be thrown out on the street, or sent to one of the 18 Catholic mother and baby homes.
Paul Redmond was born in one of those homes. He describes himself and others in a similar situation as “survivors” of a scandal that is still rocking Ireland. The 59-year-old keeps on returning to the place where he was born, which now lies empty. He says that many babies were left lying in their beds there and their nappies were rarely changed. Children with a disability or another skin color were particularly neglected, according to Redmond.
The consequences of this neglect were terrible. In the town of Tuam in western Ireland, local historian Catherine Corless discovered that the bodies of almost 800 babies and children had been concealed in a mass grave on the site of the former home. She prompted a national investigation into the scandal and went on to campaign for the exhumation of the infants’ remains.
That is also something close to Anna Corrigan’s heart. She discovered that she had two brothers who were born in the home in Tuam. A death certificate exists for her brother John, but it’s unclear what happened to William. Exhumation and DNA tests could bring clarity. Anna is still searching for clues. She hasn’t given up hope that her brother William might still be alive.
______
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Tuam, a quiet town in the west of Ireland. Tuam, a name that traumatised the whole of Ireland in the spring of 2014, when an unimaginable story was revealed. A hidden mass grave containing the remains of some 800 children was discovered on the former grounds of a home for single mothers, a hell on earth where children died from ill treatment, and were shamefully buried in secret and forgotten. Up until the 1990s, dozens of these detention centres were run by religious orders, but the country is still reluctant to confront the ghosts of its past.
Ireland’s ‘Mother & Baby Homes’ Report Uncovers 9,000 Deaths
1 How the Catholic Church Hid Away Hundreds of Irish Children | Times Documentaries
1 nov. 2017
2 Uncovering the cruelty of Ireland’s ‘mother and baby homes’ | Mother and Baby
14 sep 2022
‘If you got pregnant, that was a crime’: uncovering the Catholic zealotry and cruelty of Ireland’s ‘mother and baby homes’
Director: Mia Mullarkey (https://www.miamullarkey.com/)
Producer: Alice McDowell
Throughout the 20th century in Ireland, some 56,000 pregnant unmarried women were forced to give birth in ‘mother and baby homes’ run by the Catholic Church. Infants born into these institutions were either put up for adoption – sometimes without their mother’s consent – or fostered, or else raised on the premises in desolate conditions. And, as revealed by the Irish government’s recent inquiry into mother and baby homes abuses, these children also died inside with startling frequency, with a reported 15 per cent infant mortality rate at the 18 facilities investigated. Released in 2017, the powerful short documentary Mother and Baby by the Irish director Mia Mullarkey profiles some of the surviving children of the infamous Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Taum, County Galway, who are still grappling, decades later, with the wanton cruelty and trauma they endured – all with the complicity of the Irish state and the Catholic Church.
7 apr. 2018
3 TREATED LIKE THRASH OVER MY MIXED RACE BABY, SHEILA O’BYRNE’S STORY
21 sep. 2020
Brave Sheila O’Byrne lovable tells her powerful story of her life in the controversial St Patrick’s Mother and Baby Home.
The Dubliner was cast aside for falling pregnant at 19 with a mixed race baby. She spent 41 years looking for her son.
Don’t miss Sheila’s story tonight Monday 22nd September at 7pm.
Video Journalist Alison O’Reilly
Post Production Alison O’Reilly
A Hardshoes Production 2020
Photos used in St. Patrick’s mother and baby home are archive images, already in the public domanin and used to advertised adoptions at the home. They are not Sheila O’Byrne’s child. They are archive images that I came across while writing my book on the Tuam mother and baby home, ‘My Name Is Bridget’ in 2018. These images were kindly given to us by Bernie McKendry who owns the rights to them and holds all original copies. Her late mother, Margaret Moloney, was in St. Patrick’s mother and baby home on the Navan Road in the 1960’s.
Children in many homes like St. Patrick’s who were placed for adoption were advertised in some national papers. Their records will be sealed. No one will know the truth of this.
Treated Like Thrash Over My Mixed Race Baby, Sheila O’byrne’s Story – Blog
4 “I WAS TRAFFICKED AS A BABY”
In première gegaan op 9 nov. 2020
Margaret “Maggie” Norton was illegally adopted at 3 days old in the early seventies in Ireland. The organiser of this illegal registration was high profile GP Dr. Irene Creedon, who ran a surgery in Carrickmacross in Co. Cavan. Described by many as a “formidable” woman, she took babies from unmarried women, organised for their child to be given to a family who wished to adopt, and signed their birth certs with their adoptive parents names and details – thus, erasing the child’s entire past and identity. This was an illegal adoption.
In 2013, Margaret Norton who had been searching for her family for many years, lifted the lid on the scandal and from breaking her silence, discovered at least 19 people had been trafficked by Dr. Irene Creedon who was trafficking children up to at least the 1970’s which was twenty years after the adoption act was implemented.
Dr. Irene Creedon’s daughter claimed her mother was doing a “good turn” for the women who were caught in an unmarried pregnancy, however, she knowingly signed false birth certificates, meaning she knowingly knew she was breaking the law.
Mothers have since claimed they were giving birth in Dr. Creedon’s surgery in Carrickmacross and being “put up” in a hotel across the road and given £20 before being sent on their way. Birth mother’s were told to never come back and ask for their child and adoptive parents who requested information to help their child were all told clearly by Dr. Creedon, to “never darken” her door again.
She knowingly trafficked scores of children and her illegal activities may never have come to light, only for Margaret Norton. For 11 years she searched for her family.
5 Ireland’s Mother and Baby Scandal (Part 2) | People and Power
17 jul. 2020
Content warning: Some viewers may find this film distressing
Watch Part 1 here: https://youtu.be/F65Mc3oBylk
Six years ago, Catherine Corless, a local historian from County Galway in the Republic of Ireland, discovered that hundreds of babies and young children had died in a home for unmarried pregnant women, run by Roman Catholic nuns in her hometown of Tuam.
Further research revealed that many of the babies had died of malnutrition and other forms of neglect. Most of their bodies had been disposed of, officially unrecorded, in an old septic tank buried in the grounds of the home.
Angry survivors and relatives called for an investigation – for the remains to be exhumed, identified and properly buried, for compensation and immediate government action. Concerned families began to ask questions about other homes run by the Church in Ireland and how many other babies had died in equally mysterious circumstances.
In 2015, in response to publicity and pressure in Dail Eireann, the lower house of the Irish Parliament, the government announced it was setting up an official Commission of Investigation. The body was required to provide answers by 2018. Indeed, some modest interim findings have since been released, but two years since its official publication date, the full report has still not seen the light of day.
This June, partially in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the report was again delayed until October 2020.
In its absence, the suspicion, frustration and anger of relatives have mushroomed. And the once shameful secret of a single small rural town is developing into a broader and more profound national scandal; an affair which goes to the heart of the close relationship between successive Irish governments and the Catholic Church.
In two special episodes of People and Power, from filmmakers Callum Macrae, Mark Williams and Al Jazeera correspondent Laurence Lee, we investigate deeply disturbing allegations that both the Irish state and its religious orders were responsible for a systematic decades-long regime of institutional neglect and exploitation involving the death of thousands of children.
6 Abuse Documentary: The Shame of the Catholic Church | Retro Report | The New York Times
31 mrt. 2014
Whether it’s reporting on conflicts abroad and political divisions at home, or covering the latest style trends and scientific developments, New York Times video journalists provide a revealing and unforgettable view of the world. It’s all the news that’s fit to watch. On YouTube.
VERY IMPORTANT CONTENT
8 Would You Believe on clerical sexual abuse
21 jan. 2011
9 Fall From Grace: When priests prey and bishops betray (2018)
30 jan. 2019
“Fall From Grace” is an investigation of the Buffalo Catholic Diocese by the 7 Eyewitness News I-Team.
Damning documents from a church whistleblower formed the basis of a three-part series on Bishop Richard J. Malone, which proved Malone returned an accused child abuser to ministry and recommended he work with children; allowed another accused priest to remain pastor of a wealthy parish; and deceived the faithful by hiding the “real” abuse list — containing more than 100 priests — from the public.
It was likely the largest breach of documents from the “secret archives” in the history of the American church — and as a direct result of our reporting:
• The State Legislature in January 2019 passed the Child Victims Act, which reformed New York’s archaic sexual abuse laws and expanded the statutes of limitation on child sex crimes.
• The State Attorney General has launched a statewide investigation into clergy sex abuse.
• The Federal Bureau of Investigation has launched a criminal investigation of the Buffalo Diocese and the U.S. Attorney is building a racketeering case against church leaders.
• Buffalo’s civic leaders called for Bishop Malone to resign and Catholics have protested weekly.
• A total of 118 predator priests have been exposed. Countless children are now safe from abuse.
10 Scandal: Catholic Church abuses over 300 boys in Mount Cashel Orphanage [Christian Brothers Exposed]
17 aug. 2012
IMPORTANT CONTENT
11 Ireland’s forgotten mixed-race child abuse victims
24 feb. 2017
12 Secrets of St Peter’s: Shocking child abuse at Catholic Church school revealed
25 jun. 2015
17 Abuse of Trust (part five of five)
31 jul. 2009
Documentary about Catholic Clerical Child Abuse in Ireland. This documentary focuses on the Dublin Diocese and has interviews from survivors who describe their horrendous experiences of sexual abuse as children, Andrew Madden and Marie Collins. This also interviews the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin. Links to official church web sites and summary of the commission to enquire into child abuse can be found on my channel.
18 In Bad Faith: Child Sex Abuse and the Catholic Church | Fault Lines
23 okt. 2019
In a series of exclusive interviews with Fault Lines, several men across New York City come forward with painful memories of abuse by a Catholic priest.
They say that Father John Paddack – who was ordained in 1984 and had been ministering in New York until he was suspended in July – molested them during confession and counselling sessions in different Catholic schools across the city.
The men allege years of abuse by Paddack, sparking the latest revelations in a decades-old scandal that has shaken the Catholic Church to its foundation.
And they say that, in the intervening decades, Paddack remained in ministry – working in close proximity to children.
The church should “stop hiding”, says Joseph Caramanno, one of the men who says he was abused by Paddack while in high school, and one of the first to open a public case against the priest.
“They are allowing these predator priests to frolic around aimlessly on the streets of New York, with open access, under the shield of a collar,” he says.
Another victim, Gabriel* – now a father of two – says he was molested by Paddack as a 12-year-old Catholic school student.
“That destroyed my youth,” he says about the abuse. “That could have killed me, honestly.”
For many years, these men shared their stories privately, among close confidants. But when New York’s restrictive statute of limitations law for victims of child sex abuse was amended in 2019, they went public with their claims.
The men are suing the Catholic Church, and calling on the city’s most powerful cleric – Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York – to remove Father Paddack from ministry.
“The Archdiocese has known about the allegations against Monsignor Paddack for years, more than six years. Those allegations have been kept quiet by the Archdiocese,” says Mike Reck, one of the lawyers for the victims.
Cardinal Dolan, meanwhile, has told the 2.5 million Catholics under his watch to rest assured, claiming there are no active priests facing credible abuse allegations in his Archdiocese. Clergy abuse, he said, was largely a problem of the past.
However, our investigation into Father Paddack revealed a different story, one that raises questions about New York’s Catholic hierarchy, and whether its leader has put the prestige of the church above the survival of its victims.
For this investigation, Fault Lines spoke to five of the men who accuse Father Paddack of abuse; allegations that form a pattern starting from the early 1980s until the early 2000s, the victims’ lawyers say.
*Not his real name
IMPORTANT CONTENT
19 Abuse in the Catholic Church | DW Documentary
2 jul. 2019
Child abuse in the Catholic Church was long a taboo subject, kept under wraps by senior church dignitaries. But in the pursuit of justice, the Church’s inactivity eventually prompted the victims of child abuse to take matters into their own hands.
“For too long the Church has denied, ignored and hushed up abuse. The victims are entitled to justice.” In September 2018, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, head of the German Bishops’ Conference, uttered these words and apologized to all victims of sexual abuse by Catholic officials in Germany. But Matthias Katsch, one of the most prominent representatives of victims in Germany, maintains that the Church’s handling of abuse remains problematic even now. A former pupil at the private Canisius-Kolleg school and spokesperson for the “Squared Table” victims’ initiative uncovered the abuse scandal in the Catholic Church in Germany in 2010. For over thirty years, his abusers’ crimes had stayed covered up. Then, Matthias Katsch and his former classmates broke the silence when they turned to the public with accusations against their former teachers – Jesuit priests Peter R. and Wolfgang S. And what happened next? Not much, it seems. Both men were spotted in Chile after 2010. Impatient with the lack of progress, Matthias Katsch took matters into his own hands and set out to Chile to find the abusers – and their next victims. Filmmaker Eva Müller went with him.
——————————————————————–
DW Documentary gives you knowledge beyond the headlines. Watch high-class documentaries from German broadcasters and international production companies. Meet intriguing people, travel to distant lands, get a look behind the complexities of daily life and build a deeper understanding of current affairs and global events. Subscribe and explore the world around you with DW Documentary.
20 The Church: Code of Silence (Corrupt Priest Documentary) | Real Stories
16 nov. 2019
IMPORTANT VIDEO
21 Empire – The Vatican: A Wholly Roman Empire?
27 mei 2013
As the Catholic Church faces new and old challenges – both internal and external – Empire asks: What can Pope Francis, the first from the global South, do to stem the bleed of devotees in the West? And will he seek to reform and modernise or will he maintain ‘business as usual’? In the coming and going between the faithful and the faithless, we examine how the battle for hearts, minds and souls, is more than just a numbers game. Joining us in Vatican City to discuss the present issues and future direction for the Roman Catholic Church are: Marco Tosatti, writer for La Stampa, and author of several books on religion, including John Paul II: Portrait of a Pontiff; Father Norman Tanner, a Jesuit Priest, and author of New Short History of the Catholic Church; and Marco Politi, a journalist and author of Joseph Ratzinger – Crisis of a Papacy.
At Al Jazeera English, we focus on people and events that affect people’s lives. We bring topics to light that often go under-reported, listening to all sides of the story and giving a ‘voice to the voiceless.’
Reaching more than 270 million households in over 140 countries across the globe, our viewers trust Al Jazeera English to keep them informed, inspired, and entertained.
Our impartial, fact-based reporting wins worldwide praise and respect. It is our unique brand of journalism that the world has come to rely on.
We are reshaping global media and constantly working to strengthen our reputation as one of the world’s most respected news and current affairs channels.
22 The Vatican: An Inside Look – “Upon this Rock” – A WRAL Documentary
25 okt. 2019
23 Betrayal : Abuse in the Catholic Church in Nova Scotia (2010) – the fifth estate
Gepubliceerd op 3 okt. 2016
24 ‘Secret archives’ detailed priests’ child sex abuse and cover-ups, Pa. attorney general says
15 aug. 2018
25 Spotlight on the Church: How Sex Abuse Went Unnoticed for So Long, and What it Took to Expose It
Back to menu IMPORTANT CONTENT
27 The List: Unravelling church secrets – The Fifth Estate
18 nov. 2019
28 The priest’s confession: What the Catholic bishops knew – The Fifth Estate
17 feb. 2020
In 2015, retired Catholic priest Paul-André Harvey from Quebec’s Chicoutimi diocese pleaded guilty to 39 charges of indecent assault and gross indecency. Most of his victims were girls between the ages of eight and 10. Harvey was sentenced to six years in prison.
But before Harvey died in prison, the defrocked priest did something extraordinary — he provided a confession for his victims to use in a class-action suit against the Catholic Church. He claimed that church officials were aware of his crimes for years. When complaints surfaced, Harvey says he was simply moved. Records show between 1963 and 2002, Harvey was moved to a new parish 12 times.
Now a class-action lawsuit with more than 100 claimants shines a spotlight on who knew what and raises difficult questions about how clergy abuse is prosecuted in Canada. The Fifth Estate and Radio-Canada’s Enquête investigate Harvey’s story and ask why no charges have ever been brought against church superiors in Canada for covering up clergy abuse.
To read more: www.cbc.ca/1.5464028
Do you have a story about the Catholic Church? Share your experience with us by emailing fifthtips@cbc.ca.
IMPORTANT CONTENT
29 Roman Catholic Church, sex abuse scandals in the news, ABC, CBC, CTV, CBS, CNN
30 Vatican Inc. – People & Power
7 mrt. 2013
People & Power examines the secretive world of the Vatican’s bank.
At Al Jazeera English, we focus on people and events that affect people’s lives. We bring topics to light that often go under-reported, listening to all sides of the story and giving a ‘voice to the voiceless.’
Reaching more than 270 million households in over 140 countries across the globe, our viewers trust Al Jazeera English to keep them informed, inspired, and entertained.
Our impartial, fact-based reporting wins worldwide praise and respect. It is our unique brand of journalism that the world has come to rely on.
We are reshaping global media and constantly working to strengthen our reputation as one of the world’s most respected news and current affairs channels.
31 Boston Globe: Thousands say they are children of Catholic priests
16 aug. 2017
—
Delivered by Charlie Rose, Norah O’Donnell and Gayle King, “CBS This Morning” offers a thoughtful, substantive and insightful source of news and information to a daily audience of 3 million viewers. The Emmy Award-winning broadcast presents a mix of daily news, coverage of developing stories of national and global significance, and interviews with leading figures in politics, business and entertainment. Check local listings for “CBS This Morning” broadcast times.
IMPORTANT CONTENT
32 Spotlight: Boston Globe’s Michael Rezendes and Ben Bradlee Jr. with Seymour Hersh
15 jun. 2016
33 Amid more revelations of Catholic Church abuse and cover-up, survivors galvanize
34 Cardinal Bernard Law’s Death & Emotional Toll Of The Church Abuse Scandal
35 Children of Catholic priests live with secrets and sorrow: Jim Graham
16 aug. 2017
37 Sexual misconduct in the Philippines’ Catholic Church: Sins of the Father | 101 East
17 feb. 2017
Sexual misconduct in the Philippines’ Catholic Church: Sins of the Father – 101 East Philippines 
| Sins of the Father: Sexual misconduct inside the Catholic Church | 101 East
| Sins of the Father: Sexual misconduct inside the Catholic Church | 101 East Priests are treated like God in the Philippines – Asia’s largest Catholic nation. But often that trust is exploited by clergymen who are sexually deviant. And, despite a vow of chastity, some priests have children out of wedlock.
Those abuses and misdemeanours within the Church often go unpunished. Critics say investigations are kept secret and those charged with sexual abuse are still active in local parishes.
101 East investigates sexual misconduct inside the most powerful institution in the Philippines: the Catholic Church.
38 
The Unholy Conspiracy | Australia’s Clerical Sex | 101 East
12 apr. 2013
Australia’s Clerical Sex Abuse: The Unholy Conspiracy
In late 2012, Australia was rocked by fresh allegations of Catholic clergy child sex abuse by whistleblower, New South Wales Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox.
Fox has pursued allegations of child sex abuse by Catholic clergy for more than a decade, and he claims that as his investigations continued, a frightening picture emerged of a widespread cover-up by the Catholic Church of the child sex crimes committed by its clergy.
Fox repeated those claims publicly, and also accused the Catholic Church of deliberately obstructing police investigations, destroying evidence, and protecting paedophile priests, sparking calls for a national inquiry.
At the same time as Fox’s investigation, The Newcastle Herald’s senior journalist Joanne McCarthy, had also picked up the scent of a wider conspiracy by senior church officials to conceal sex abuse by its clergy.
Searching for clues – Joanne delved into the case of Father Vincent Ryan – a paedophile priest convicted in 1996.
Her first discovery was a police record of interview with Monsignor Patrick Cotter, who was Maitland’s acting Bishop in the 1970s.
She was stunned to learn Cotter had known for 20 years that Ryan was a paedophile, and that when it was first reported to him by parents of a victim – he had simply shunted the priest interstate – concealing the issue, rather than reporting it to the police.
She then discovered another bishop’s letter, outlining a plan to cover-up the crimes of one of the most dangerous paedophile priests in the Maitland-Newcastle area, Father Denis McAlinden.
Bishop Leo Clarke wrote to McAlinden with an offer – if he agreed to be laicised or, defrocked as a priest, the church would protect him: “Your good name will be protected by the confidential nature of this process.”
At the end of his letter, Bishop Clark urged McAlinden to agree to be defrocked because “some people are threatening seriously to take this whole matter to the police”.
The offer to conceal McAlinden’s crimes was proof of the church’s veil of secrecy and soon Joanne ascertained that the clergy members involved were amongst the most senior in the Australian Catholic church.
Now, a special commission of inquiry has been set-up by the New South Wales state government to determine whether their actions amounted to criminal conduct. The special government-appointed inquiry, known in Australia as a Royal Commission, has also been charged with investigating how the NSW police force handled the complaints.
The trigger for the Royal Commission came in July last year, when John Pirona, a 45-year-old firefighter in the city of Newcastle, ended his life after years of mental torment stemming from the sex abuse that he suffered as a child at teh hands of a paedophile priest.
The abuse occurred at St Pius X High School, a Catholic boys’ school in Newcastle. Pirona’s suicide followed about a dozen suicides and many more attempted suicides by former students at the school. Shockingly, many people reported the abuse to the school principal who kept silent, punishing children who dared to complain.
As the impact of John Pirona’s suicide reverberated throughout the community, demands for a Royal Commission gained new impetus and in Newcastle, a public rally was held to boost the campaign.
Detective Peter Fox was at the rally and felt inspired to speak out about his struggle to expose crimes concealed by the church. Emboldened by speaking at the rally, he repeated his claims two months later on national television.
Four days later, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced the establishment of a Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. This historic judicial inquiry will be the biggest in Australia’s history.
It will hear testimonies, not only about the original sex crimes, but also the subsequent crimes of concealment by the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, and other organisations.
The Australian inquiry goes way beyond the brief of any such inquiry anywhere in the world by promising to follow up with prosecuting sex offenders, and those guilty of concealing or covering up their crimes. A special investigation unit has been established to gather further evidence and prepare briefs for the police.
Although the commission itself cannot prosecute, the early establishment of these units means this important work in bringing about accountability can commence quite soon.
The effects of the royal commission could have widespread and unforeseen outcomes – such has been the force of religion in Australia, threatening to shake Australia’s social and political life when its findings are published.
40 Sweden: Truth, lies and manipulated narratives? – BBC Newsnight
22 aug. 2018
Sweden: The good vs the bad.
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Sweden is usually recognised as being innovative, transparent and progressive, with good healthcare, welfare and gender equality.
More recently, however, a growing chorus of Sweden sceptics have emerged. In this report, Gabriel Gatehouse went to find out more about these competing narratives.
Reporter: Gabriel Gatehouse Camera: Jack Garland Director/Pic editor: Stuart Denman
Newsnight is the BBC’s flagship news and current affairs TV programme – with analysis, debate, exclusives, and robust interviews.
41 Hannelore werd als kind (11) seksueel misbruikt in sekte | RTV Oost
42 Envoyé spécial. Au nom de la foi, les enfants sacrifiés – 7 février 2019 (France 2)
12 feb. 2019
En Idaho, aux Etats-Unis, les Disciples du Christ vivent à l’écart du monde. Quand leurs enfants tombent malades, ni docteur ni médicaments, mais des prières comme remèdes. Au risque d’y laisser la vie…
Chaque année, Linda Martin se rend dans un cimetière près de Caldwell, petite ville de l’Idaho, au nord-ouest des Etats-Unis. Elle y recense les nouvelles tombes : celles des enfants âgés de quelques jours, quelques mois, quelques années à peine. Des enfants morts faute de soins et qui appartiennent tous à une communauté religieuse parmi les plus secrètes du pays, les Disciples du Christ.
La loi de l’Etat les protège, au nom de la liberté religieuse.
Ces familles de croyants vivent à l’écart, dans des vallées isolées. Leur particularité ? Elles refusent de soigner leurs enfants quand ils tombent malades : ni docteur ni médicaments, uniquement les prières comme remède. Et si leurs enfants meurent, ils ne sont pas poursuivis par la justice. Car la loi de l’Etat les protège, au nom de la liberté religieuse. Pour Linda, ancienne membre de la communauté, c’est un meurtre légal à grande échelle. Mais impossible, jusqu’alors, de changer la loi…
Un reportage de Kristian Autain, Pauline Juvigny et Nils Montel
44 Ireland prepares for Pope visit amid Catholic abuse and adoption scandals
25 aug. 2018
46 Unforgivable | The priest sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church
47 Catholic priests’ victim: ‘The abuse was so common it became normal’
3 feb. 2016
48 Het sexueel misbruik schandaal in Pennsylvania
22 aug. 2018
49 How The Catholic Church Hid The Bodies Of 800 Children – Children Of Shame – Crime Documentary
17 aug. 2020
Show channel for more adoption stories and artwork in response to Ireland’s institutional scandals. Click on the link here and press subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/c/staywithmea…
Terri Harrison has spent 47 years trying to find her son Niall who was taken by the nuns at six weeks old from his cot at St. Patrick’s mother and baby institution in 1973. He was taken to Bessborough mother and baby institution in Cork and adopted, without her consent.
Terri has spent years fighting for justice over what happened to her as an 18 year old girl. At the time, it was considered a “sin” to have a baby out of wedlock in Ireland. Thousands of women have walked in Terri’s shoes.
Tonight, Monday 17th August at 7pm, in what could be her last attempt at contacting her son, Terri has turned to social media, to make direct appeal to him on video.
“I just want one last hug to say goodbye” she says.
Terri tells her story this week.
In a statement from the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, 16 August 2020, in response to our query about Terri’s story, a spokesperson said:
“In relation to your query received today. We urge anyone who has any historic issues regarding Mother and Baby Homes to take them directly to the Commission of Investigation so that matters can be fully investigated. This Commission has had our full co-operation on all matters and this will continue to be the case. We passed all records relating to the Mother and Baby Homes to TULSA/HSE in 2010 “
Video Journalist Alison O’Reilly
Post Production Alison O’Reilly
Photo Karen Morgan
A Hardshoes Production 2020
50 FULL EPISODE: ‘VeraCity: Unrepentant’ investigating abuse in the Canadian Catholic Church
51 Mother and Baby Homes In Ireland | What Comes Next?
12 sep 2021
The publication of the report of the Commission on Mother and Baby Homes in January 2021 produced a storm of controversy, distress and anger among survivors who discovered that their testimony had been woefully treated and disregarded in the report’s conclusions. A loose coalition of survivors, advocates, lawyers, journalists and writers have succeeded in drawing public attention to the report’s deficiencies. This First Thought Talk panel brings together Noelle Brown, survivor and activist, Maeve O’Rourke, lawyer and co–founder of the Clann Project, Conall O’Fatharta, journalist with the Irish Examiner, and Caelainn Hogan, author of Republic of Shame. Catriona Crowe will moderate.
Galway International Arts Festival’s 2021 First Thought Talks were presented in association with Festival Education Partner NUI Galway. Watch more talks online: https://www.giaf.ie/talks/
About GIAF
Galway International Arts Festival is a major cultural organisation, which produces one of Europe’s leading international arts festivals; develops and produces new work that tours nationally and internationally; and presents a major discussion platform, First Thought Talks.
The 2022 Galway International Arts Festival takes place from 11-24 July 2021 and will feature the very best of the performing and visual arts from Ireland and around the world, with an international programme of theatre, dance, circus, exhibitions, spectacle, music, comedy, talks and discussions.
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52 Broken Windows Gag
8 apr. 2011
Only trying to be helpful, these people end up being responsible for breaking a window. A presentation of the Just For Laughs Gags. The funny hidden camera pranks show for the whole family. Juste pour rire les gags, l’émission de caméra caché la plus comique de la télé!
PetStuBa
1 jaar geleden