Bishop confesses to boyhood sex assault on woman

[emad]

Sunday Times
Kathleen Nutt


A retired bishop has disclosed that he took part in the sexual assault of a woman when he was a boy.

Richard Holloway, 74, who as Bishop of Edinburgh was the most senior Anglican cleric in Scotland, describes his role in an attack on a female shop worker in the opening chapter of his book Between the Monster and the Saint: Reflections on the Human Condition, to be published this month by Canongate.

The attack took place 65 years ago when Holloway was nine, but he is still troubled by the incident in his home town of Alexandria, Dunbartonshire.

Holloway, who retired eight years ago, was working as a messenger boy in the Co-op store.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article4449538.ece

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. Bishop Holloway...

Is a friend of my friend, The Gay Episcopal Priest. I shall have to speak to him and take his temperature on this.

[BlooInBloo]

2. I'm sure the woman was "troubled" by it as well. Fucker.

[ZombieHorde]

3. It is hard for me to judge the actions of a nine year old when they are led by violent adults.

This sentence was most disturbing...

"Nobody was prosecuted for the attack which was regarded in the cultural climate of the day as a “bit of a prank”, he added."

[noamnety]

4. There's another problem though.

Every day for the last 65 years, he made a decision not to report it.

That was the action of an adult, and he did it again and again and again.

[ZombieHorde]

5. Two things.

1) The article addressed that issue - "Nobody was prosecuted for the attack which was regarded in the cultural climate of the day as a “bit of a prank”, he added."

2) He was not an adult until nine years after the attack.

[noamnety]

6. The vast majority of that time, he was an adult

56 years, if you prefer to only hold him responsible for the 20,400 days he decided not to report it.

And I'm guessing for all of that time he was an adult, he understood that was not a "bit of a prank." It wouldn't be weighing on him still if he hadn't understood it was sexual assault.

If you are so sure that during that time he thought of it as a "bit of a prank" - ask yourself whether he would he have been okay watching a fellow bishop - or priest - or neighbor do the same to one of his congregation, or to his mother.

[ZombieHorde]

7. if you prefer to only hold him responsible for the 20,400 days he decided not to report it.

That would be better, though it would do no good. He stated that it was the "cultural climate of the day", if this is true, then no arrests would have been made. Especially since it would be years later. I am just guessing here, but most of the people in the government were most likely men, and may not have cared in the least.

And I'm guessing for all of that time he was an adult, he understood that was not a "bit of a prank." It wouldn't be weighing on him still if he hadn't understood it was sexual assault.

I agree.

[emad]

8. Great choice of profession if you want to keep lying about your

past or your predilections.