IRELAND
The Irish Times
BREDA O’BRIEN
MARIE COLLINS made news all around the world this past week. Her passionate and graphic description of what it is like to be abused by a priest, and then to find religious authorities dismissive and obstructive when she revealed the crime, seems to have stunned some bishops into finally understanding the depth of harm caused by sexual abuse.
She spoke at the “Towards Healing And Renewal” conference at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, and says that she found it a “huge changing point” for her, because she could see real commitment to reform and accountability.
I don’t think there is a person in the country who doesn’t fervently wish that the conference will mark a huge changing point, not just for Marie Collins, but for the church in general.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.