Hello again,
The looming shadow behind the Synod is that of the clerical abuse crisis. Madoc Cairns wrote last year that the defining act of the Catholic 20th century was not the Second Vatican Council but the abuse crisis. So much of Catholic discourse now feels like a displacement activity, a desperate refusal to deal with that full horrifying reality. And that is why the people who stare at that horror, unflinching while retaining their faith are rare treasures. One of them is Antonia Sobecki (below). She’s the founder of LOUDFence in the UK and a tireless campaigner for those abused in the Church. The basic idea behind LOUDfence is the tying of ribbons to fences outside Churches in memory of those who have been abused. Yet her work goes far beyond that as the interview below shows.
Why did you start campaigning for abuse victims in the Church?
I started campaigning for survivors of abuse in the church because my experiences were the exact opposite. I am a survivor of familial child rape and abuse at the age of 7. I completely understand the devastation abuse causes. I still live with its effects now at 49. It has had a profound impact on my life. From the age of 7 I sought solace and comfort in the church. The church loved, valued, included and supported me. It became my replacement father and I’ve always loved the church for it. When I discovered the abuse which had taken place in the church my agony was absolute but after a period of very intense grief I decided, as the child the church saved, to do something to tackle the culture of the church which permitted survivors to be subjected to such terrible harm. They all deserved to have the same experience of church as I had. Every child deserves this.
The abuse in the Church seems never-ending sometimes, what keeps you going?
The revelations of abuse do feel like they are never-ending but there are also important truths to remember too. We are also the church and we are not abusive. I can say with total conviction “the church cares”. If one person cares about survivors there is hope and part of the church cares. One person speaking out from a place of moral integrity, compassion and hope is more powerful than 100 people succumbing to fear, despair and helplessness. I have heard so many terrible revelations but I have also met so many people who are completely determined to be that one person. The abusers (as terrible as they are) are few and we are many.
What’s most surprised you since starting this project?
I am humbled by the bravery and faith of so many of the survivors I’ve met. I have met people who have had their faith and relationship with God tested in the hottest furnace imaginable by modern standards. I met a survivor who grew up in a Christian Brothers home in Scotland. He was trafficked by them to homes all over Scotland and Ireland. He was raped so many times by so many of the Christian Brothers he actually can’t quantify how many men attacked him or how many times they raped him. He was beaten and subjected to sadistic cruelty and yet despite all of this horror it was not enough to break him. They didn’t get to take his faith. I don’t know what it is like to meet a great saint, but I think I’ve got a pretty good idea.
Why do you think the Church handled clerical abuse so badly, for so long, in so many places?
I think the reason why the church has handled this issue so badly for so long is a mirror image of why society has failed to eradicate abuse for so long. It is a matter of conflicting priorities. Many others will give you lots of other contributory factors such as shame and the obligation of the bishops to protect the people of god from scandal but when it really comes down it, we just don’t see or value the victim. The victims are the smallest and most defenseless members of the church. The people most impacted by the truth are the most powerful and privileged. It is the age-old story of the people at the top exploiting a power differential to purchase their comfort at the expense of the small and defenceless. This reality combined with a toxic aftershock of shame has crippled the church and prevented it from responding well to victims together with the propagation of false narratives by many in the church. Narratives such as “those who leave the church because of abuse were never really committed to their faith” and “all clergy are abusers or involved in coverup”. These false narratives compound the problem and make the “us and them” culture in the church much more entrenched and difficult to address.
What gives you hope?
I get hope from the passion and determination of the people I meet who live out the values of the gospel by working for change. I meet these people in all parts of the church. The Root and Branch Catholic Reform Society, from bishops here in the UK, from clergy, from safeguarders and parishioners and most of all from the sheer strength of the human spirit I witness in the survivors of abuse I’m honored to support. I don’t think God makes us caring and compassionate by just “zapping us” and imbuing us with those virtues. I think he gives us opportunities to step up and be caring, compassionate and just to others. We have to choose to embrace those virtues by co-operating with the Holy Spirit. The LOUDfence and its ministry of care give us the perfect opportunity to be a church which practices those virtues.
Here’s to Antonia and all those like her doing God’s work in the fields where the ground is hardest. You can find our more about LOUDfence here. Please share this with a friend if you found it of value.
God bless and see you next week, Ian
