Mass Grave of Dead Babies in Ireland Used as Guinea Pigs for Pharmaceutical Company

[hedgehog]

157. I think the article in the Irish Examiner says it the best -

"Our morals have since changed, but not improved, hence, the frantic urge to pin the blame elsewhere; anywhere. "

I think that article deserves to be read by everyone posting on this thread - it's the best analysis of the entire horrible history and the current reaction to the revelations of that history I've seen. It rightly acknowledges that the way the Church treated those women and children was a reflection of Irish attitudes and conditions at that time.

The recent public acknowledgment that these children went into mass graves is part of the ongoing self-examination of the entire Irish culture, not just the Church. The Irish people were no more ignorant of what went on those homes than the German people were of the death camps. The difference is that the German people have faced up to what happened, and the Irish people are now in that process.

I do not intend to down play the conditions in those homes or ignore them. It's just that I have been aware of them for 14 years since the scandals first hit. Using these sins to jump on the Catholic Church today is like denouncing the Spanish Inquisition. It strikes me that many are more interested in taking the opportunity denouncing the Church for any reason than they are concerned about what happened to these people.

Today 84% of the Irish identify as Catholic, only 11% go to Mass.

http://www.irishcentral.com/news/numbers-in-irelands-catholic-church-continue-to-drop-stigma-attached-to-attending-mass-200315991-237575781.html

I would submit that many people have assimilated the teaching of Jesus Christ, applied them to the institution and walked away. They still believe; they just won't tolerate the system any more. For myself, I am a devout Catholic. However, the Roman Church is structured around the belief that women are second class humans. Therefore, while I remain a Catholic, I am a member of my local Episcopalian Church.