Many victims of sexual abuse are 'crying silent screams', says Bishop of Derry at a special service in the city for survivors and victims of such abuse

Derry Now
March 4, 2017

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Bishop of Derry, Donal McKeown, has said that many people are ‘crying silent screams’ because of sexual abuse.

Bishop McKeown led a service at St Eugene’s Cathedral in Derry last night as part of the Catholic Church’s Worldwide Day of Prayer for survivors and victims of sexual abuse.

Speaking during his homily, Bishop McKeown described a famous painting by the Norwegian artist Edward Munch, called The Scream.

“Painted with broad bands of garish colour and highly simplified forms, its portrayal of a person screaming silently reduces the figure to an almost hollow cloak in the throes of an emotional crisis,” he said.

“Some people who have experienced abuse in their lives suggest that this picture is one they can identify with.

“They are screaming inside but nothing comes out – and even the world of their environment seems distorted.

“This is not something that happens mainly in a church context.

“The SAVI report some fourteen years ago suggested that 42% of Irish women experience some form of sexual abuse or assault in their lifetime – as do 28% of Irish men.

“There are a lot of people in this city and country who are crying silent screams.”

Bishop McKeown said that on the day of prayer for survivors and victims of sexual abuse ‘our first step is to recognise that a huge number of walking wounded live in our communities’.

“Our schools contain lots of children whose lives have been scarred by what happened to them in their helplessness.

“I do not know what lies behind many smiling faces or cases of addiction.

“But behind every person whose life or relationships are in trouble, there lies a story.

“And, for most people, that is a story that will not be told. At the beginning of Lent, it is important that we accept that very uncomfortable truth.

“In fact, it is an acceptance of this truth that is important for those who have suffered. They are not just of cold statistics.

“They are people who have been badly hurt in their bodies, people whose hearts have been scarred by the actions of others.”