Across the Tasman, there are two events to report related to the Catholic World Youth Day extravaganza.

One is that Brisbane’s progressive communities are planning their own protests against the papal visit, along with other Brisbane area progressive groups. The march is intended to start on Brisbane’s Queen Street today at 1.00 PM and will include members of that city’s LGBT, pro-choice, aboriginal land rights, and clergy paedophilia survivor communities.

Times have changed, haven’t they? Once upon a time, it would have been illegal to hold such a march in Brisbane, under the corrupt far right Bjelke-Petersen regime in that state. Now, it’s Morris Iemma and his Sydney ALP state government who have shown equally disturbing lack of regard for human rights, civil liberties and free speech.

However, the most heartbreaking story related to the institutional Catholic church’s callous lack of regard for the suffering of clergy paedophilia survivors is that of the ordeal of Anthony and Christina Foster.  Father Kevin Donnell, teacher at a Melbourne Catholic primary school and serial paedophile, cost Anthony and Christina the life of their daughter, Emma, whom Donnell raped and continued to abuse for three years, from when she was five to the time that she turned eight. He also raped their other daughter, Katherine, who turned to drink to blot out the pain and was involved in a car accident several years ago.

Emma can’t seek a papal apology herself. Aged only 26, she committed suicide in January 2008.

One wonders if Archbishop Anthony Fisher, who accused clergy paedophilia and sexual violence of survivors of ‘crankiness’ is even listening to the words of Anthony Foster, a grieving father:

“The church just doesn’t get it,” Mr Foster said. “It just does not comprehend the impact of its actions and the effect of sexual assault. And it does not know how to look after the victims.”

Granted, the Melbourne Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney offered Emma and her family $50,000. Granted, Donnell was finally imprisoned for his acts of serial paedophilia, and granted that he died in prison as he deserved, back in 1997. But $A50,000 is the ceiling payment for abuse survivors, and archdiocesean/order infighting and past concealment tactics hamper efforts at investigation and justice for clergy paedophilia survivors.

The Fosters want justice. They want an independent tribunal established, and damages against clergy sex predators increased to the level that would prevail in a civil criminal case. They do not want any other grieving family to have to go through what they did.

World “Youth” Day?! What about the lives of the “youths” that were ravaged by the evils of clergy paedophilia and rape, like Emma and Christine? It is obscene that the Catholic Church is allowed to get away with pontificating about the so-called ‘evils’ of women’s reproductive freedom, while its own priests escape justice for acts of brutality and predation that have ruined the lines of countless real children.

Anthony and Christina, this pagan will be praying to his own goddesses and gods for justice for you, your family and countless others. I only wish I could do more.

Recommended:

“Gay protest against pope visit” Brisbane Courier-Mail: 18.07.08: http://www.news.com.au

Joel Gibson: “Parents plead for papal audience” Melbourne Age: 18.07.08: http://www.theage.com.au