We are quite overwhelmed and honoured that Oxford “Think Week” will be raising money for Survivors Voice Europe  this year! It will mean that we can do even more, but more than anything the very gesture has moved us beyond words, and the opportunity to tell more people about our cause will be amazing. Please do try and get to as many of the talks as possible, they will be brilliant talks and so enlightening.Thankyou to the British Humanists Oxford, and all who have supported us

http://www.thinkweek.co.uk/

http://www.facebook.com/thinkweek2012

By Louise Rooney MBACP AIP

Have you ever heard of Svengali?  In a book by George Du Maurier called Trilby the story goes about a charismatic hypnotist who convinces a young impressionable girl that she can sing, even though she is tone deaf.  In everyday language Svengali has come to mean someone who cruelly with evil and/or cynical intent, controls another person by persuasion or deceit

I think its more than possible that survivors of abuse can really identify with the idea of someone in their world being this kind of Svengali-like character.  For survivors of clergy abuse, the Svengali is the church itself.  Does this character sound familiar to you in your life?

It’s a scary thought, isn’t it that we are somehow under a spell or engaged in some kind of macabre dance that we feel compelled to do even though we know it isn’t actually any good for us?  Why do we do that?!

For example, as survivors we might say ‘I want justice, I want my abuser to apologise, I want people to hear my story, I want to teach them a lesson’.  This is absolutely important and essential for growth HOWEVER there comes a point where if you are not getting what you need then you may need to rethink the way you are going about it!  It may be you are doing the wrong things for the right reasons. And after a while you have to ask yourself, who is leading the way in this, who is controlling the dance?  Its more than likely the abuser even now!

Today the Vatican theatre is at its height, when the big symposium is held in the public arena and the church wheels in a selected ‘victim’ as a foil for the actors and actresses of the church – who is leading the dance there?  Is it the survivors? Absolutely not!  What we are seeing at play is one of the most subtle elements of damage carried out on people by the church – THEY HAVE CREATED A MASS OF CODEPENDENT SURVIVORS – and by this I mean that continuing to depend on the church – the Svengali!  This is precisely what they want!

Codependency is a term often associated in addiction fields and can sometimes mean people that are in a relationship sharing the same addiction – I prefer to consider that people with symptoms of codependency are addicted to unproductive patterns of behaviour, compelled to keep doing what they do time and time again even when it is no longer useful or helpful.  Sometimes this is because people with these kinds of compulsions do not believe that they have enough in them to be able to stand up for themselves, to break away from the dance or the game, to recognise that they have a choice TODAY (not necessarily at the time of the abuse but CHOICE EXISTS TODAY).

So lets look at this – talking to Sue in particular about why she is not in Rome at the moment.  The old inclination in Sue would have been to go there, march, make a statement, be photographed and recorded and filmed, be identified as a survivor at the Vatican theatre, be used as a bit-part in a film, directed and produced by the Church.  If Sue does this because she feels that she is getting something useful out of it or because she thinks it will make a difference then this is good.  But realistically when she allows the Church to dictate the terms on which survivors are dealt with in the public arena, then she is dancing with the devil, she is under the spell of the Svengali.  She continues to hand her power over to them, she continues to follow the steps of the abusive hypnotist, she continues to be contained by the Church and remains ultimately powerless.

NO GOOD WILL COME OUT OF THIS SYMPOSIUM – nothing useful, nothing to change the world, nothing for the survivors – the only thing that will come out of it is that the Church will pat itself on its back, tell themselves what a great job they did in talking about it and sit on their arses for another decade on the back of their deluded sense of success.  How do we know this?  Because this is what always happens in the dance with the devil!

So how can we stop this dance?  How do we say ‘I don’t want to play ball any more?’ – well we take charge, we take our power back.

WE HAVE TO REALISE THAT THE SO CALLED POWER OVER US IS FAKE, FALSE, WILL BLOW AWAY WITH THE CLICK OF THE FINGERS, WILL DISAPPEAR IN A PUFF OF SMOKE.

THEY ONLY HAVE POWER OVER US IF WE GIVE IT TO THEM – simple.

The only way we can extricate ourselves from this sick, hostage-style relationship is to take back our power and we have to do that on an individual basis.

Don’t expect them to apologise in a way that is enough for you, don’t expect them to do anything in a way that you would want them to, don’t expect them to acknowledge that what they did was wrong, don’t give them a false sense of having all the cards in this game – THEY DON’T.  The more you expect of them, the more in charge they are!

The power and ability to change our lives is in us, not in anyone else.  Codependents often look for external factors that would make their life better – justice, lottery win, love, children etc.  They also find it hard to forgive or move on from the damage and fear that they have experienced in their lives, even after many years – this is understandable and true but if we keep saying this then we keep remaining as victims not survivors.

I am absolutely not saying that the church need to be let off or that abusers should just be accepted – I just think that we are more powerful when we change the way we do things and change where we do our recovery work.

For example, we will NOT be holding the annual celebration of survivors in Rome – why would we give them the satisfaction of celebrating where they are?  Will it not thwart the narcissists more if we DON’T DO IT THEIR WAY?  We will not be asking for an apology – they can do that in their sleep standing on their heads but it doesn’t mean anything – so we don’t need to go with our begging bowls to them for their platitudes and lies.  When we start to change our views on the world from our frame of reference then we become powerful.  The only thing you can control RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW is how you react to the world around you – this is something that codependents need to learn and manage on a daily basis.  We cannot stop people calling us names or hurting us, we cannot stop war, we cannot stop poverty or neglect – these things will always be here, but how we choose to deal with them is our power.

So next time you have an overwhelming emotional response to something and an massive inclination to react in some way STOP, breath, think – who is going to get the most out of whatever I am about to do?

If it is the abuser – DON’T GIVE THAT TO THEM!

If it is you – THEN GO FOR IT!

But be honest – don’t try and make it fit – if you are lying to yourself about your motives THEY HAVE LED THE DANCE AGAIN!

“Happiness is like time and space–we make and measure it ourselves; it is a fancy–as big, as little, as you please; just a thing of contrasts and comparisons, like health or strength or beauty or any other good–that wouldn’t even be noticed but for sad personal experience of its opposite!–or its greater!”

Sending warm thoughts to each and every survivors and beloved other out there – TIME TO DANCE TO OUR OWN TUNE!

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Great Falls-Billings has not been officially served today, but they are aware that ten plaintiffs have filed suit accusing members of the Catholic Church all over eastern Montana of sexual and physical abuse.

Lead attorney, Tim Kosnoff has been handling sex abuse cases against the Catholic Church for the last 16 years. After cases he handled in Washington and Oregon, more and more people are stepping forward to share their stories. Kosnoff describes the sexual abuse in Montana as the worst he has seen so far. He believes the plaintiffs in this lawsuit are just the tip of the iceberg. He explains, “we’re talking about the rape and sodomy of 8, 9, 10, 11 year old boys and girls by Roman Catholic clergy, often accompanied by acts of physical abuse”.

Timothy Becker is one of the plaintiffs in this case. He was born in Billings, Montana, but spent most of his childhood living in Livingston, MT. It was here that he attended St. Mary’s Catholic School and trained as an alter boy at the parish. In the lawsuit, Becker accuses Father Ted Szudera of sexually abusing him when he was just fifteen years old.

Like many victims of abuse, Becker repressed this alleged abuse until in 2006 he began having flashbacks and nightmares triggered by memorabilia from his childhood. It was at this time that he approached the diocese with the story of his abuse. Becker says, “priests are just like everybody else, human beings, and they have to be accountable for what they do wrong”.

Unfortunately, he felt he met a brick wall with the diocese’s review board. He did not find the investigation thorough and it was completed by members of a review board that is appointed by the Bishop. He says they provided a number of therapy sessions, put the blame on his father, and basically wished him luck in his recovery.

The diocese maintains this one accusation was in fact independently investigated and found not to be credible. Vicar General, Father Jay Peterson, explains, “we have very solid polices in place. We have a zero tolerance policy that is strictly enforced”. Their polices which can be found on their website offer the services of a victim assistance coordinator, outlines provisions on receiving complaints, and more. Peterson also states that the 3,000 people working and volunteering for the diocese undergo comprehensive background checks. A press release from the diocese states this lawsuit, similar to the one against Helena diocese, makes sweeping allegations in attempt to gain more claimants.

Kosnoff feels the diocese basically dismissed Becker’s allegations against Father Szudera in an attempt to cover up corruption within the church. The diocese, in this way, has continually failed the children they are entrusted with. Kosnoff and his team of attorneys believe that having a review board comprised of members that are connected to the Church is a conflict of interest and impairs the chance for an objective investigation. Attorney Leander James says, “it would seem common sense that an organization accused of sexually abusing a child, or one of its members is accused of sexually abusing a child, that it would necessitate an independent review by people not internal to the organization”.

The attorneys are asking the court to mandate reform, believing the diocese is incapable of addressing possible corruption. One of these mandates would create a Joint Task Force on Child Protection with the Attorney General of Montana to annually investigate and monitor the diocese.

Unfortunately the court has no power to rewind the hands of time. It can only offer monetary reward to victims and punitive damages designed to punish and deter future offenses. However, the attorneys say the real reward would be validation for the alleged victims and hope that there is an end in sight of the alleged abuse. Another attorney working on this case, Daniel Fasy, has met with many victims and while the initial opening up is obviously painful and difficult for many, it can be very therapeutic. He says, “the amazing transformation I get to see from the beginning when we meet with a survivor to the completion of the case is pretty profound. It’s a process of actually seeing someone get their voice”.

The goal of this lawsuit is to protect children. Becker says, “I’m hoping to make it aware that anybody this is abused needs to come forward and make it known that they can’t do this to any of God’s children”. The attorneys believe the accused Father Szudera is still active in the Church somewhere and hope anyone with information on his whereabouts will come forward. The attorneys believe that top stop one alleged abuser is the only way to ensure the safety of countless at risk children.

We’ll continue to follow this lawsuit as it develops.

(Weert, Pays-Bas) De 10 000 à 20 000 enfants victimes d’agressions sexuelles dans des institutions catholiques. Au moins 800 prêtres impliqués. L’ampleur du scandale d’agressions sexuelles qui secoue les Pays-Bas depuis le mois dernier est saisissante. Derrière ces chiffres: un véritable drame humain, comme le rapporte notre envoyé spécial.

Ton Leerschool se souvient comme si c’était hier «du jour le plus noir de sa vie», survenu en juin 2004.
La plainte pour agression sexuelle qu’il avait déposée contre un prêtre venait d’être rejetée par l’institution catholique chargée d’évaluer ce type de dossier. Terrassé, il est demeuré un long moment près des rails d’un chemin de fer, songeant à se précipiter devant le prochain train.

«Finalement, je ne l’ai pas fait à cause de ma femme et de mes enfants. J’ai décidé à ce moment-là que si je ne pouvais pas vivre pour moi, je vivrais pour les autres», relate le Néerlandais de 58 ans.

Chevelure poivre et sel ébouriffée, regard perçant derrière ses lunettes, M. Leerschool parle aujourd’hui franchement et ouvertement d’événements qu’il avait carrément rayés de sa mémoire pendant près de 40 ans. Des agressions subies dans un internat catholique de Stevensbeek, dans le sud des Pays-Bas, où il a séjourné pour une année.

Les images du passé ont ressurgi en 2003 alors qu’il tentait de reconstituer le fil de son existence. «La révélation m’est venue comme un coup de marteau. J’ai compris que la «petite chose» que j’avais reléguée loin dans ma tête avait eu un effet énorme sur l’ensemble de mon existence», relate M. Leerschool, rencontré cette semaine à Weert, non loin de son lieu de résidence. Et de la ville où se trouve l’internat de son enfance.

Les images en question étaient celles d’un prêtre qui l’a agressé à plusieurs reprises. «Le directeur m’a convoqué quelques mois plus tard. Il m’a dit que tout était de ma faute, que j’avais séduit le prêtre et que j’étais dégueulasse», souligne-t-il.

Ses parents, qui n’ont jamais rien su de la situation, le retirent de l’école quelques mois plus tard. S’ensuit une lente déchéance, alimentée par un sentiment de «dégoût personnel»: toxicomanie, alcoolisme, colère, rejet de toute intimité.

Après un premier mariage difficile, il finit par refaire sa vie avec une autre femme, d’origine italienne, avec qui il a trois enfants.

«Quand je lui ai parlé en 2003 de ce qui est arrivé, j’ai pleuré, pleuré, pleuré», relate M. Leerschool, qui a réussi avec l’aide d’un thérapeute à déconstruire sa traumatisante expérience.

C’est dans ce contexte qu’il s’était adressé à Aide et Justice, une organisation chargée par l’Église catholique de traiter les allégations d’agressions sexuelles. Après la rebuffade qui a failli le tuer, un homme qui avait lu en ligne un compte rendu de son expérience a pris contact avec lui pour lui dire que le prêtre en question avait aussi tenté de l’agresser et qu’il était prêt à témoigner en sa faveur.

«Le prêtre, voyant ça, a décidé de reconnaître ce qu’il avait fait. Il a dit qu’il était malade à l’époque», relate M. Leerschool, qui n’a jamais tenté à ce jour de rencontrer le religieux même s’il vit dans la région.

«J’ai encore des cauchemars où je vois le prêtre qui me tape sur le pied dans le milieu de la nuit pour me dire de monter à sa chambre», souligne-t-il.

L’Église au pied du mur
Janne Geraets est lui aussi assailli par des images du passé. «Je me souviens d’une fois où quelqu’un a frappé à la porte de la chambre où je me trouvais avec le prêtre qui m’agressait. J’ai crié, mais aucun son n’est sorti», décrit l’homme de 59 ans en entrevue.

Habité par l’envie de devenir un missionnaire, il était entré à 11 ans dans le séminaire de Don Rua, chapeauté par l’ordre des Salésiens. Isolé, il ne savait que faire lorsque le religieux, toujours en vie aujourd’hui, l’a amené dans sa chambre et l’a agressé la première fois.

«Le jour suivant, il m’a dit que ce qui était arrivé la veille n’était pas bien. Et il m’a donné l’absolution pour mes péchés», relate M. Geraets, qui s’est confié à sa mère après avoir quitté l’établissement.

«Elle n’a rien fait. À l’époque, le prêtre occupait une très haute position sociale», relate le quinquagénaire, qui a témoigné de son expérience à un journaliste de la radio nationale néerlandaise au début de 2010, précipitant une avalanche de témoignages.

Placée au pied du mur, l’Église catholique a lancé la même année une commission d’enquête indépendante. Dans son rapport final, paru le mois dernier, elle évalue à entre 10 000 et 20 000 le nombre d’enfants qui ont pu être agressés dans des institutions catholiques néerlandaises entre 1945 et 2010. Des plaintes précises ont permis d’identifier 800 prêtres fautifs. Une centaine sont toujours en vie.

Inaction dénoncée
Le rapport critique durement l’inaction des hauts responsables de l’Église catholique. Les religieux fautifs étaient généralement mutés ailleurs en silence et les victimes, laissées à elles-mêmes.

Les dirigeants catholiques se sont dits «honteux et attristés» des agressions survenues, promettant des réformes. L’organisation catholique Aide et justice a déjà été transformée pour être plus efficace et plus centrée sur les besoins des victimes.

Beaucoup reste à faire, relève Guido Klabbers, qui dirige KLOKK, une organisation chapeautant une quinzaine d’associations de victimes.

Cet ancien élève de Don Rua, aussi agressé par un prêtre dans son jeune âge, pense qu’il est temps que le gouvernement prenne ses responsabilités dans ce dossier. «Historiquement, une trop grande latitude a été donnée aux institutions religieuses», dit-il.

KLOKK aimerait notamment que l’État révise les périodes de prescription prévues pour ce type de délit, de manière à permettre la poursuite des prêtres pédophiles toujours en vie.

«Ça va continuer»
M. Klabbers entend par ailleurs suivre de près le travail d’une autre commission, qui doit indemniser les victimes pour l’épreuve subie. Des sommes oscillant entre 5000 et 10 000 euros (6500 et 13 000 dollars canadiens) ont été prévues.

Même s’il y aurait droit, Ton Leerschool ne veut pour rien au monde recevoir de l’argent de l’Église catholique.

Qui peut, dit-il, mettre une valeur sur tout ce qui a été perdu? «Combien vaut le fait que les trois enfants issus de mon second mariage n’ont pas eu vraiment accès à leur père quand ils étaient jeunes parce que j’étais incapable de communiquer?», demande M. Leerschool, qui ne croit pas à la capacité de l’Église catholique de faire cesser les agressions.

«En Asie, en Afrique, en Amérique latine, ça va continuer. Ce n’est pas une question de célibat ou de pédophilie, mais bien une question de puissance. Quand on croit qu’on est plus grand que les autres, plus fort, on pense qu’on peut faire n’importe quoi», conclut-il.

For people who have experienced great trauma, are feeling isolated, maybe fearful, this time of year can be even more difficult to manage. So here at Survivors Voice we came up with some tips that some of you may find useful for working through the low energy, reflective winter months in a positive and empowering way.

1.  Start a journal – journals in whatever form are wonderful for venting and for getting those hurlyburly thoughts that crowd into your head out of the way. You can either write them, type them, create pictoral journals either with drawings or sketching. Try to find 20 minutes at the beginning of your day to do this – early journalling is when today hasn’t had a chance to add to the thoughts in your head.
2.  Create a hope list – remember hope is a little bit like a road in the country – it wasn’t there originally but after lots of people walked along the same track it became a really clear pathway! Write down all those little hopes and big hopes that you have for this year – not putting yourself under pressure to achieve anything in particular or to set yourself up for disappointment but to find the time to mentally walk on that same pathway as everyone else.

3.  If you have access to the internet there are some wonderful sites full of beautiful images – take 20 minutes every day to google positive, uplifting images that inspire you, or make you smile – what do you like – do you like animals, landscapes, peoples faces, symbols. Check out Google, select Images and type in one of the following – kind faces/baby animals/peaceful/inspirational landscapes or find some of your own.
4.  If you are looking to start making some changes in your life and needing some ideas on where to start, you can just take small steps at this stage of the year, remember that you have only winter energies available so go soft and steady. You might like to take 15 minutes of time out at the end of the day to do some meditative practice and you could focus on one of the following :-

HALT – Hungry Angry Lonely Tired – can you remember how many times you were any or all of these. If you were any of these then you might have experienced feelings of pain, frustration, sadness, upset etc. Look to eliminate feeling any of these – so if you are hungry, make sure that you are eating well, if you are tired, get some rest etc.
Self-criticism – how many times in the 15 minutes does a negative self thought pop into your head – no need to focus on the content, just make your head a little bit like a butterfly net, just catch what you can and see how many times you criticise yourself. If you see the frequency then you can start to reduce the number
of times.
FEAR – are you frightened of something, are fearful thoughts getting in your way. Take the end of day 15 minutes to give yourself over to them, JUST FOR THE 15 MINUTES, make that your worry time. For the rest of the day if a worry pops into your head, or a fear, park it in your head and tell yourself you will think about that during the 15 minutes worry time.
5. Challenging fears – New Year can be a very frightening time for people, they might think that something wicked this way comes or worry about what the year will bring – the best way to handle this is to challenge the reality of the fears – take a moment to think about someone in your life or in the world around you that you trust – this person needs to be a kind person, someone who you know will speak honestly but who has your best interests at heart. It might be a family member, you could imagine the Dalai
Llama even or a personal hero. When you are feeling frightened, close your eyes, breath and imagine that this person comes into your head – WHAT WOULD THEY SAY ABOUT THE FEAR YOU ARE HAVING? How would they rationalise it, test the reality of it, support you through it if it is real.

6. Have you thought about writing a letter to the younger version of you? If you could imagine that you were able to go back in your adult form to give the child version of you some support and hope, what might you say? What would the younger you want to know?

7. Take up some creative practices – are you a gardener, are you a baker, do you enjoy painting? Therapeutic and creative practices are gentle but inspiring and don’t need to cost too much.

8. Softly softly through the rest of the winter – give yourself permission to be gentle, quiet, kind to yourself and take the pressure off yourself. If you feel that you want a duvet day, take one! If you feel that want to go for a walk, go for one! If you want to bake a cake or plant some spring bulbs ready for the nice weather, do it.

9. Get some fresh air, a little gentle exercise will help with endorphin production (happy hormones), try and get some light during the day – sometimes Seasonal Affective Disorder can be alleviated with some daylight.

If you have ways that you find useful to get through those darker times, then do share them with us on the blog/forum pages – REMEMBER THAT SURVIVORS VOICE IS ABOUT US ALL COMING TOGETHER TO EMPOWER EACH OTHER so all your ideas are very very welcome.

Try to focus on small steps towards positivity, no stable and positive change can really happen in one swoop, the longest successes are those built brick by brick.

A Igreja Católica holandesa recorreu ao perdão, um dos pilares de sua doutrina, para tentar se redimir ante um escândalo de proporções assustadoras. “Os bispos e diretores da Conferência Religiosa Holandesa estão chocados pelo abuso sexual de menores. Eles nos enchem de vergonha e desgosto. Os agressores não são os únicos culpados. As autoridades da Igreja não agiram de forma correta e não deram prioridade aos interesses e aos cuidados das vítimas. Nós lamentamos profundamente esse abuso”, afirmou a entidade, por meio de um comunicado à imprensa, no qual ofereceu “desculpas de todo o coração”. Horas antes, um relatório divulgado por uma comissão de investigação independente revelou que entre 10 mil e 20 mil crianças sofreram abusos em orfanatos católicos, internatos e seminários, entre 1945 e 2010 (leia quadro). “Várias dezenas de milhares de menores foram submetidos a formas leves, graves e muito graves de comportamento sexual inapropriado por parte da Igreja Católica”, acusa a comissão, que citou “muitos milhares” de casos de estupro. O arcebispo Wim Eijk explicou que a Igreja pretende indenizar cada vítima com valores que variam de US$ 6,5 mil a US$ 130 mil.

Mas o arrependimento da Igreja não será o bastante para reparar o trauma e cicatrizar as feridas de milhares de vítimas. “As desculpas da Igreja Católica nada significam para mim. Eles (os religiosos) nunca se deram o trabalho de descobrir, em uma conversa pessoal, vinda do coração, o que o abuso significou para minha vida”, desabafou ao Correio, por e-mail, o holandês Ton Leerschool, cofundador da organização Stichting Mannenhulpverlening, que presta ajuda a homens que sofreram abuso sexual. “A Igreja deveria humildemente perguntar aos sobreviventes, um a um, o que ela pode fazer para diminuir a dor causada pelo crime”, acrescentou.

Leerschool contou que foi abusado aos 13 anos, em um internato no sul da Holanda. “O agressor era meu professor, meu técnico, uma espécie de ‘pai’”, lembra. “O abuso começou após um acidente na escola. Eu fraturei meu cóccix e o padre aplicava um creme no local, três vezes ao dia. Na primeira vez, ele mudou a conversa para o campo da sexualidade e me fez sentar em seu colo. Masturbou-me e me obrigou a fazer o mesmo com ele”, acrescenta. O abuso durou um ano e, mesmo curado da lesão, o menino era forçado a ir à cama do sacerdote. O diretor da escola repreendeu o aluno, chamando-o de “garoto sujo” e acusando-o de “seduzir” o padre. “Minha mulher foi a primeira pessoa com quem falei sobre isso, em 2003, depois de 37 anos”, disse. Para Leerschool, o número real de crianças abusadas deve variar de 50 mil a 100 mil.

Silêncio
Por telefone, a norte-americana Barbara Blaine — presidente da Rede de Sobreviventes Abusados por Padres (Snap) — acusou o Vaticano de priorizar a reputação do clero e não a proteção das crianças. “Todas as vezes em que há investigações, os nomes dos agressores são entregues à polícia, mas a cúpula da Igreja acaba por transferi-los para outros locais, onde podem continuar a abusar mais menores”, declarou. Ela atacou as indenizações irrisórias propostas pela Igreja e a política de silêncio em relação aos abusos.

A comissão de investigação holandesa considerou a Igreja culpada de “supervisão e ação inadequadas”. “A Igreja Católica tinha uma cultura de não lavar roupa suja em público. Ela sabia o que acontecia e tentou abafar o problema, mas não funcionou”, afirmou Wim Deetman, ex-ministro da Educação e responsável pelo inquérito. Com 28% de católicos, a Holanda foi criticada pelo relatório da equipe de Deetman. “O abuso sexual de menores está disseminado na sociedade holandesa”, alerta o documento de 1,1 mil páginas. Nos últimos 40 anos, uma em cada cinco crianças holandesas foi molestada.

Mais atenção aos jovens
O papa Bento XVI pediu à comunidade internacional que dê atenção especial à “frustração” dos jovens devido à crise que angustia as sociedades modernas. “Prestar atenção ao mundo juvenil, saber ouvi-lo e valorizá-lo não é só uma oportunidade, mas um dever primário de toda a sociedade para a construção de um futuro de justiça e de paz”, escreveu o pontífice, em sua mensagem para o Dia Mundial da Paz, divulgada ontem.

Fé e horror
Conclusões do inquérito sobre pedofilia na Igreja Católica da Holanda:
» Crianças abusadas
Entre 10 mil e 20 mil

» Locais dos crimes
Orfanatos, internatos e seminários

» Período
Entre 1945 e 2010

» Tipos de abusos
A maioria dos casos envolve abusos leves a moderados, como toques inapropriados. No entanto, há “muitos milhares” de exemplos de estupros

» A investigação
O inquérito foi iniciado, em 2010, por duas entidades católicas, a Conferência dos Bispos e a Conferência Religiosa Holandesa. As denúncias envolvendo padres pedófilos na Bélgica, Irlanda, Alemanha, Austrália, Canadá e EUA levaram à investigação na Holanda

» Padres agressores identificados
Cerca de 800 foram apontados pelas vítimas, com a ajuda de retratos falados. Do total, 105 estariam vivos e alguns ainda estariam no sacerdócio

Ton Leerschool, cofundador do Stichting Mannenhulpverlening
(uma organização que presta ajuda a homens vítimas de abuso sexual)

Como o senhor vê o fato de dezenas de milhares de crianças terem sido abusadas em instituições católicas na Holanda?
Em primeiro lugar, o número entre 10 mil e 20 mil é um cálculo baseado nas atividades da comissão de investigação. Achamos que os números atuais são muito maiores. A comissão identificou, por meio de depoimentos, cerca de mil agressores. A partir de estatísticas mundial, achamos que o número atual de vítimas se aproximará de 50 mil e pode exceder 100 mil. Como resultado de toda a atenção da mídia sobre o relatório da comissão, recebemos na tarde de hoje (sexta-feira), e-mails que pessoas que nos disseram nunca terem falado sobre o abuso que sofreram, mas que agora sentiam a necessidade de fazê-lo. Os fatos publicados deveriam resultar em uma intervenção política, como uma investigação independentes liderada pelo Estado holandês. Esse é o próximo passo pelo qual estamos lutando. Sou membro de uma comissão do Parlamento da Holanda e nós (as organizações de sobreviventes) nos reuniremos em breve com os membros do Parlamento para preparar um debate público na casa. No âmbito global, o relatório é bem importante. Após EUA, Irlanda, Alemanha, Áustria e Bélgica, nossas acusações têm confirmado que a hierarquia da Igreja Católica sabia dos abusos e decidiu não agir. Os procedimentos são internacionalmenteos mesmos e o Vaticano não pode mais ser excluído de implicações diretas; as autoridades da Igreja na Holanda estão alinhadas com as políticas do Vaticano: “A Igreja Católica em primeiro lugar!”. Isso deveria ser uma advertência para países na América do Sul, na África e no Sudeste da Ásia, onde a Igreja ainda tem consideráveis poder e autoridade. O relatório tem exposto a cultura da Igreja Católica. As autoridades da Igreja se desculparam novamente, mas isso não é mais passível da confiança de qualquer pessoa.

Por que tantos casos de pedofilia têm envolvido a Igreja mundo afora?
Eu pessoalmente não acredito que os agressores eram pedófilos. Também não creio que o celibato tem algo com isso. Eu acredito que o abuso de crianças é uma expressão da falta de respeito pela vida humana, por parte de um número de empregados da Igreja Católica. Esse relatório apenas fala sobre abuso sexual, mas também temos incontáveis exemplos de abusos físico e psicológico. As crianças são brinquedos para os homens no poder. Em qualquer lugar onde um poder quase interminável é exercido, o risco de abuso, de qualquer forma, é muito alto. Os padres têm quase um poder sem fim, são representantes de Deus, da liturgia católica e dos rituais que eles nos ensinam. Eles ainda desempenham um papel ativo na decisão sobre quem vai para o céu ou o inferno. Não há maior poder do que esse! Ao mesmo tempo, a Igreja Católica é uma organização altamente secreta. Ela tem sua própria legislação e lida com atos criminosos. Quase como se fosse um Deus sobre esta Terra… Segredos podem ser mantidos entre organizações e criminosos que ficam atrás de portas cerradas. Os agressores se movem ao redor do mundo sem alerta e podem continuar suas ações do mal sem qualquer consequência. O nome da igreja não pode jamais, sob nenhuma circunstância, ser danificado. Nessa cultura, criminosos podem prosperar e atos criminosos florescerão…

O senhor pode relatar o que lhe ocorreu? Como e quando foi abusado?
Eu fui abusado aos 13 anos em um internato no sul da Holanda. O agressor era meu professor, meu treinador, uma espécie de ‘pai’. O abuso começou após um acidente na escola. Eu fraturei o cóccix e o padre aplicava um creme no local, três vezes ao dia. Na primeira vez, ele mudou a conversa para o campo da sexualidade e me fez sentar em seu colo. Masturbou-me e me obrigou a fazer o mesmo com ele em sua sala, perto de nosso dormitório. Eu não sei precisamente por quanto tempo o abuso prosseguiu; cerca de um ano. Depois que minha lesão foi curada, ele vinha e me tirava da cama. Esse é um dos pesadelos que tenho regularmente: eu o vejo urinando através do cortinado de minha cama; então, ele toca sobre minhas pernas e gesticula, ordenando que eu vá para sua sala. O diretor da escola me chamou um dia e disse que eu era um ‘garoto sujo’ e que eu tinha que parar de seduzir o padre. Passei a vida inteira imaginando que eu era uma pessoa má. Saí de casa quando tinha 17 anos e não tive mais relação com meus pais, por pensar que eles também achavam que eu fosse uma má pessoa. Minha mulher foi a primeira pessoa com quem eu falei sobre o abuso, 37 anos depois. Isso ocorreu em 2003.

Como o senhor vê os pedidos de desculpas da Igreja Católica holandesa?
As desculpas da Igreja Católica nada significam para mim. Não sabemos do quê eles mesmos se desculpam. Eles nunca se deram o trabalho de descobrir, em uma conversa pessoal, vinda do coração, o que o abuso significou para minha vida. A Igreja deveria, humildemente, perguntar aos sobreviventes, um a um, o que ela pode fazer para diminuir a dor causada pelos abusos. Enquanto permancerem arrogantemente indiferentes ante milhares e milhares de vidas destruídas, suas desculpas serão em vão e vazias. É óbvio que há também bons cristãos, e não sinto raiva dos católicos. A religião é uma escolha livre, de qualquer indivíduo. Mas também é algo entre o indivíduo e Deus. A Igreja Católica deveria retomar as lições daquele filho de um carpinteiro da Galileia (se ele já existiu, porque poderia ser outra invenção da Igreja). Mas se ele exsitiu, acho que o mundo seria um lugar melhor de se viver, caso as pessoas se tratassem com o respeito que Cristo pregou. A Igreja Católica deveria viver as normas que ela prega; atualmente, está em total controvérsia com seus ensinamentos.

Sue Cox, Phil Saviano Y Peter Isely sobrevivieron a los abusos sexuales por parte de curas católicos en su infancia. Han apoyado a otras víctimas para que revelen sus historias y han denunciado a la Iglesia ante la Corte Penal Internacional.

Durante siglos se mantuvieron en secreto los abusos sexuales a menores por parte de curas católicos en el mundo. Sólo en los últimos años las víctimas se han atrevido a revelar sus historias y a exigir que la Iglesia deje de encubrir a los curas pederastas. Tres de los abusados que hoy lideran la lucha contra el oscuro secreto de la Iglesia le cuentan sus historias a El Espectador.

Sue Cox
Sue Cox fue adoptada por una familia muy católica. Vivían en Warwickshire, Inglaterra, donde había una parroquia sin habitaciones para los religiosos, por lo que éstos eran hospedados en casas de familia. Y como la madre de Cox era monja, le gustaba alojar a los curas. Uno de ellos, el padre Nichelsen, violaría a su hija a los 10 y a los 13 años. Cox recuerda que en una de esas ocasiones su madre entró a la habitación, pudo ver y entender la escena, pero no hizo nada. “Me decía (el padre) que rezara por él. Nunca habló de eso”.

Nichelsen no se quedó mucho tiempo en casa de Cox, pero sí lo suficiente para dejarle un trauma. “Cuando tenía 13 años, la última vez que me violó, tuve un desorden alimenticio, me volví alcohólica, empecé a probar las drogas, me sentía inconforme con mi familia”. Cox —quien hoy es profesional de la salud— añade que lo mismo les sucede a otros sobrevivientes, porque los abusos se producen cuando el cerebro está en desarrollo y dejan un trauma difícil de superar.

A los 17 años se casó para irse de su casa. Su matrimonio fue desastroso, violento y deprimente. “Pero tuve suerte, porque de ahí nacieron seis hijos”. A los 29 años dejó de beber por miedo a que su familia sufriera las consecuencias de su alcoholismo, empezó a estudiar las adicciones, fue a la escuela y a la universidad. Mientras estudiaba compartió experiencias relacionadas con sus adicciones y desórdenes alimenticios, pero nunca mencionó los abusos sexuales: “Aún me sentía apenada, culpable, temerosa”. Cox explica que muchas víctimas no se atreven a hablar porque, como ella, “crecieron en una religión basada en el miedo y la culpa. El cura parece cercano a Dios, en muchos casos el cura es el profesor de las víctimas, es una figura paterna, dice a los menores que Dios los castigaría si hablan sobre los hechos. Hay una conspiración del silencio. La gente tiene miedo de la Iglesia, del cura, de Dios”.

Hace tres años recibió un premio por su trabajo en asistencia a drogadictos y alcohólicos. Un periodista hizo un artículo sobre ella y le preguntó por qué hacía lo que hacía: “era ridículo si no lo confesaba”. Reveló su historia y se convirtió en una multiplicadora de voces de víctimas. El pederasta que violó a Cox, para entonces ya estaba muerto, por eso no podía ser denunciado. “Pero en todo caso hablé, para ayudar a otros a que también hablen. Lograr que lo hagan es una razón de éxito en mi profesión. Contar el secreto es un primer paso para superar el trauma”.

Dos ciudadanos de Boston, Bernie MacDaid y Gary Bergeron, que fueron de los primeros en hablar de abuso sexual de curas hace más de 10 años en EE.UU., la contactaron. Juntos, con el holandés Tom Leerschool —también víctima de curas pederastas—, fundaron hace un año la organización Survivors Voice. El 29 de octubre de 2010 hicieron una reunión de sobrevivientes en Roma, frente al Vaticano. Llegaron miles de personas de más de 12 países dispuestas a contar sus historias: “entre ellos había 60 sordomudos de Italia que habían sido abusados en los Institutos Provolo de Verona por padres católicos. Uno de ellos fue violado por 16 curas”, cuenta Cox.

Los fundadores de Survivors Voice, apoyados por la prensa italiana, llevaron la denuncia hasta la diócesis de Verona, que intentó negar la historia y acusó a las víctimas de mentir e intentar chantajear a la Iglesia. Finalmente se abrió una investigación. Sin embargo, ninguno de los acusados ha sido alejado del instituto, a donde aún asisten centenares de niños.

El pasado 29 de octubre, cerca de un centenar de sobrevivientes se reunieron en el Castel Sant’Angelo, frente al Vaticano, e hicieron fiesta para celebrar lo que ellos mismos declararon desde el año pasado como el día mundial de los sobrevivientes de curas pedófilos católicos.

Desde que rompió su silencio, Cox ha estado en las marchas en contra de las visitas del Papa al Reino Unido y a favor de una Europa secular. La cantidad de gente que se ha sumado, dice ella, es incalculable. “Cada vez que alguien cuenta su historia, salen otros dos, 20, 100, que se animan a hablar. Esto es importante, porque si las historias no se cuentan, las próximas generaciones de abusados no lo harán. El secreto no se puede seguir perpetuando”.

Peter Isely
Mide casi dos metros, tiene la cabeza afeitada, la cara angular, los ojos profundos, un halo de misterio. Parece un profeta del viejo testamento, un religioso, un cura. Y por poco lo es. Creció como devoto católico y parecía destinado al clero. Su madre rezaba el rosario cinco veces al día y le ponía medallas del catolicismo bajo la almohada. Asistió al St. Lawrence, un seminario católico en Milwakee, Wisconsin, EE.UU. Después del seminario abandonó su sueño de ser cura, aunque cada domingo asistía a misa.

Pero uno de esos domingos, en noviembre de 1992, la historia cambió. Entró a un café y leyó, en el Milwakee Journal, una columna de opinión escrita por el arzobispo católico Rembert Weakland, quien respondía a acusaciones contra curas que habían abusado sexualmente de menores. Fue entonces cuando Isely sintió el llamado a revelar la historia que trataba de dejar atrás desde hacía más de 20 años.

En la columna el arzobispo decía que los curas necesitaban asegurarse de que la comunidad católica los apoyaba y haría todo para que las víctimas recuperaran sus vidas productivas A Isely le impactó de tal modo que no asistió a la iglesia. Fue a su casa y escribió una carta abierta a Weakland al diario que acababa de leer. El domingo siguiente su misiva ocupó la primera página.

Isely revelaba que en el seminario St. Lawrence había sido violado por el reverendo Gale Leifield, que era el rector, desde que tenía 13 años hasta que cumplió 17. “No le digas a tu madre, eso la mataría”, le decía el reverendo después de cada violación. “Cuando uno es un niño se echa la culpa por todo. Yo sentía que era mi culpa”, asegura Isely, quien durante más de 20 años no reveló su secreto ni siquiera en los confesionarios.

Isely se convirtió así en uno de los principales antagonistas de la iglesia de Milwakee y se hizo líder de Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (Snap), la organización que ha denunciado en la Corte Penal Internacional (CPI) los abusos de la pedofilia clerical.

“La pederastia clerical es un escándalo criminal sistemático y requiere una vigilancia sistemática. Ha sido permitida por una jerarquía privada global. El remedio debe involucrar abogados seculares con alcances globales. Por eso pedimos formalmente a la CPI que investigue y procese a los responsables de perpetrar estos crímenes”.

Isely no sólo denunció su caso. “También represento a los cientos de niños sordos que fueron abusados en el St John’s School for the Deaf en Milwaukee por el padre Lawrence Murphy. El caso de Murphy fue enviado directamente al Vaticano y a la oficina del cardenal Joseph Ratzinger, el papa Benedicto XVI. Ratzinger sabía que Murphy abusó de cientos de niños sordos, pero le permitió permanecer como cura en su ministerio”.

Ahora, a sus 51 años, cuenta que revelar el amargo episodio y tratar con el trauma lo transformó, pasó de ser un hombre herido a “una conciencia pública y autoafirmativa de la Iglesia Católica”. Además, se convirtió en el soporte jurídico de cientos de víctimas que intentan hacer justicia.

Phil Saviano
Es considerado un héroe entre los sobrevivientes de curas pederastas. Este hombre, que llega a los 60 años, que es homosexual y padece de HIV, se atrevió a contar su historia en 1992, pocos meses después de que intentara suicidarse al ingerir un tarro de píldoras para dormir.

La mañana del 17 de septiembre de 1992 Saviano leyó en el diario Boston Globe un artículo sobre un padre de Massachusetts que había abusado de niños en Nuevo México. La noticia le trajo recuerdos de 1964, cuando tenía 11 años y asistía a la catequesis en la iglesia St. Denis, en East Douglas. David Holley, el pastor de la iglesia, lo obligaba a practicarle sexo oral repetidas veces en el “frío y oscuro sótano de la iglesia”.

Treinta años después, Holley fue acusado de violar niños que estaban bajo su cuidado en Nuevo México, en 1970. Actualmente cumple una sentencia de 275 años de prisión por abusar de al menos ocho menores. Después de leer la prensa, Saviano decidió que contaría su historia.

Buscó ayuda con el abogado Eric MacLeish —quien hoy representa a 250 víctimas de abuso sexual por parte de clérigos— e interpuso la primera demanda en Massachusetts contra la diócesis de Worcester, a la que pertenecía el padre Holley cuando abusó de Saviano. En 1995 la diócesis le ofreció a Saviano US$15.500 con la condición de que guardara silencio sobre el caso. Pero Saviano no aceptó: “No podía aceptar sin sentirme culpable por hacer parte del gran secreto de la iglesia”, dice. Interpuso una demanda, que fue la primera contra el clero en Boston, para tener acceso a los archivos de los religiosos.

Así se enteró de que “Holley había abusado de menores en cada uno de sus oficios religiosos durante los 30 años en que estuvo en la iglesia. Al menos seis obispos de cuatro estados sabían que era un pedófilo. “Esto ilustra el encubrimiento y la política de proteger a los abusadores que el Vaticano implementa históricamente”.

Saviano se convertía en la primera víctima en denunciar abuso sexual por parte de clérigos sin ser condenada al silencio. Para esos tiempos también salían de las sombras las víctimas de otro padre, John Geoghan, y Saviano se les unió. En 1997 fundó el New England Chapter de Snap, un grupo de apoyo y de soporte legal que lideró durante una década. En los años siguientes adhirieron más de 100 miembros al grupo, se hicieron consejos para víctimas y para la protección de los derechos de la niñez. Desde entonces, con el impulso de Saviano, Snap ha dejado de ser una organización nacional con cinco sedes, y ha pasado a tener casi 50.

Hoy Saviano pregunta: “Y si el tarro de píldoras para dormir que me tomé hubiera tenido un efecto fatal, ¿te imaginas todo lo que me hubiera perdido?”.

El padre Holley le envía numerosos mensajes desde prisión, ninguno de ellos mostrando arrepentimiento y todos quejándose de las injusticias del sistema legal. Los mensajes de Holley terminan así: “Que Dios te siga guardando en su tierno cuidado”.

Demandas no prosperan en la CPI
Hasta ahora no ha prosperado ninguna de las demandas interpuestas en la Corte Penal Internacional (CPI) contra la Iglesia católica por abuso sexual a menores. La más reciente de estas acciones judiciales fue presentada por el Centro para los Derechos Constitucionales y la Red de Supervivientes de las Víctimas de Abusos (Snap, en inglés), el 16 de septiembre de 2011, en contra del Vaticano. Los sacerdotes señalados como agresores son de Bélgica, India y EE.UU., y habrían abusado de menores en la República Democrática de Congo y en EE.UU. Las víctimas demandan al papa Benedicto VXI; al cardenal Tarsicio Bertone, secretario de Estado del Vaticano; al cardenal Angelo Sodano, actual decano del Colegio Cardenalicio, y al cardenal William Levada, jefe de la Congregación para la Doctrina de la Fe, por permitir que curas pederastas sigan en la Iglesia. El papa Benedicto XVI ha pedido perdón públicamente a las víctimas, mientras que otros portavoces del Vaticano afirman que la demanda es “estúpida y absurda”. Añaden que los obispos, y no las cabezas del Vaticano, son los responsables directos de los sacerdotes de sus diócesis. Pamela Spees, abogada del Centro para los Derechos Constitucionales, ha afirmado que la CPI es un tribunal global adecuado para un asunto global, pero uno de los problemas para resolver los juicios es ubicar el abuso sexual por parte de clérigos en la definición de crímenes contra la humanidad, que se deriva de ataques —sistemáticos y amplios— contra civiles en una situación de conflicto.

Barbara Blaine
“Creemos que, en este momento, cientos de niños son abusados sexualmente por curas católicos, monjas, obispos y seminaristas. Esa violencia es ocultada sistemáticamente, como lo ha sido por décadas, por los altos oficiales de una jerarquía global insensible, secreta, rígida y poderosa. Sabemos que para algunas personas puede ser difícil equiparar los crímenes sexuales del clero y los encubrimientos con otras formas de violencia que procesa la CPI, pero la violencia, la violación y la tortura toman muchas formas. Pueden desarrollarse abierta o clandestinamente; pueden ser explícitamente ordenadas o sutilmente permitidas. Pueden ocurrir en la plaza de un pueblo o tras las puertas; por parte de oficiales públicos o instituciones privadas. Pero es errado castigar la violencia más obvia en contra de miles mientras se ignora la menos obvia en contra de miles”.

Barbara Blaine, directora de Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (Snap), cuando se iniciaron las demandas contra la Iglesia en la CPI.

Joelle Casteix
Cuando se interpusieron las demandas ante la Corte Penal Internacional (CPI), por el Survivorrs Network of Those Abused by Priests (Snap), estas fueron las palabras de la directora regional de Occidente para esta organización, Joelle Casteix(foto):

“Durante los últimos diez años el mundo ha visto lo que las víctimas han conocido desde hace mucho tiempo, que el abuso sexual y los encubrimientos en la Iglesia católica son un problema global que concierne a cada parroquia, cada diócesis y cada país en el mundo. Nosotros vemos y entendemos que el abuso sexual ocurre en todas partes, pero la razón por la cual estamos hoy en La Haya es por el sistemático e institucional encubrimiento que se ha permitido florecer en una Iglesia y un Estado diplomático que continuamente ha evitado rendirle cuentas a la justicia”.

photo: Daily Mail

Christopher Jarvis, 49, a married father-of-four, investigated historic claims of child abuse, interviewing the victims when they were adults. He was responsible for child protection at 120 churches and parish community groups for nine years.

He also, as a member of the Devon and Cornwall Multi-Agency Safeguarding Team, had access to police and social services information about victims of child abuse.

As a result of the conviction and sentencing, the Roman Catholic Church has ordered a review of child protection across the South West of England.

According to The Times, the Bishop of Plymouth, the Right Rev Christopher Budd, has asked the NSPCC to carry out the inquiry into child protection arrangements in Devon, Cornwall and Dorset.

The revelations that the church hired a peadophile in a key child protection role will add to the controversy surrounding the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales over its handling of sexual abuse.
At the time of his arrest in March this year, Jarvis was leading an investigation into an historic sex abuse allegation at Buckfast Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in Devon. He was arrested after uploading images of pre-pubescent boys on to the Ning social networking website.

Police officers who traced him to his home in Plymouth, Devon, found more than 4,000 child porn images, mainly of boys aged 10 to 12, on his church-supplied computer and a memory stick when they raided the house in Penrose Road.

The court heard that 4,389 images were found on the laptop and memory stick.

The majority, 3,721, were at Level One, the lowest level for abusive images.
But there were 120 at Level Four, which includes scenes of child rape, and 12 at Level Five, which can include scenes of torture and sadism.

Jarvis, who the court heard claimed he was abused as a child, was sentenced at the city’s crown court after admitted 12 counts of making, possessing and distributing indecent images at a previous magistrates’ court hearing.

The court was told that Jarvis, who was fired as soon as he admitted his crimes to the police, has been barred from attending any Catholic services in Plymouth.

He felt ‘ostracised’ by the church since his arrest, the court was told, and had attempted to commit suicide.
Police who examined the computer after Jarvis’s arrest found that, as well as the images, he had viewed erotic content about a relationship between a nine-year-old boy and an adult man.

Diminutive and bespectacled, Jarvis hid his face with his hand from the people in the public gallery for the majority of the hearing.

Passing sentence, Judge Paul Darlow dismissed attempts by the defence to have sentence deferred to examine whether Jarvis would benefit more from psychiatric help than prison.

Judge Darlow told him that, despite appearing to his work colleagues as ‘caring, helpful and honest’, he had been ‘elective and cynical’ in downloading and distributing child porn.

‘You, of all people, were more aware than others of the massive theft of innocence and long-term damage exacted on the children whose images you downloaded for your own sexual gratification,’ he said.

‘In the circumstances, your behaviour was more elective and cynical than might otherwise have been the case.

‘It had a deep impact upon the church. In the eyes of the public you had a respectable position in the church.

‘The people who confided in you of their own misery and abuse may well themselves be shocked and horrified that the person they were speaking to was, in his personal life, downloading images of children being abused in the same way.’

The court heard that Jarvis had refused to sign a ‘covenant of care’ the church requires all convicted sex offenders to sign before they are allowed to rejoin congregations.

Defence barrister Jo Martin said: ‘He feels ostracised by the Catholic Church and that is why he had decided not to sign the covenant of care.

‘He has decided now that he will not go to church. The lack of forgiveness is very difficult for him to deal with as a man of faith.’

His public work persona was of a caring professional good at his job, while in his personal life he suffered from ‘low self-esteem and his sense of inadequacy’ stemming from his own abuse as a child.

It was this, she told the court, that had led him into downloading child pornography.

In a statement, David Pond, the independent chairman of the Child Safeguarding Commission for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Plymouth, said the NSPCC carried out an independent review of child protection across the South West of England and cases Jarvis had been involved with and found no evidence that he had acted improperly in his role with the church.

‘The church is and remains absolutely committed to ensuring that a safe environment exists for all in the church and the knowledge that Jarvis was himself guilty of such offences has been a great shock to the many people who had placed their trust in him and worked with him to protect vulnerable children and adults,’ he said,

‘He was a fully qualified social worker and came to the role following a competitive recruitment process being of good character and with very good references.

‘We need to be continually vigilant and aware of the need to have reliable checks and controls in place to manage the risk to vulnerable children and adults and we will continue to review and improve our responses to all forms of abuse.’

Jarvis was jailed for 36 weeks concurrently for each of six charges of possessing indecent images of a child and five of making an indecent image of a child plus a further 16 weeks consecutively for a single charge of distributing indecent images of children.