FEEDBACK ON AN OFFICIAL CATHOLIC ABUSE SURVIVORS FORUM

Feedback coming in now on a proposed official Catholic Abuse Survivors Forum – mainly a VERY cautious positive response and, thus far, two survivors who said specifically it was a waste of time. One of them has been through the wringer many times with the Catholic Church so I can understand his exasperation. I think that goes for all of us.

My initial tweet thread was too dry, got a very limited response, so my thanks to my wife Lisa for suggesting a follow-up more ‘tabloid’ tweet which got far more engagement. Given that I write popular culture for a living, you’d really think I’d have realised that!

And the responses, in themselves, amount to important material for a forum and how such a forum would look and the likely responses. Nothing problematic that I could see..

I looked at both the RLSS and CSSA sites and couldn’t find ANY Survivor feedback!

It was all Chiefs and No Indians.

That HAS to change. It’s against everything the Elliott Report stands for. Perhaps Elliott was also at fault for not spelling out how Safeguarding can be pro-active.  Even though to me, and many Survivors, it’s so obvious. 

I think I’ve demonstrated below that there is cautious interest in a Forum. So it’s over to Safgeguarding now.

I’ve also demonstrated it does require social media skills to engage everyone concerned and get Survivors interested.That’s something the Safeguarders must take on board. As I said to Nazir Afzal, the Safeguarding approach is very ‘Daily Telegraph’. It needs to be tabloid to reach and interact with people.

I’ll blog my conclusions separately.

The alternative of doing nothing and endlessly raising concerns for decade after decade, while the Safeguarders and the abusive organisations they’re protecting remain heavily entrenched behind their official positions and are not pro-active is against the spirit of the Elliott report.

We have to move forward.

Anyway, here was the social-media savvy tweet

@PatrickEMills

If you had the chance to speak direct to Catholic Safeguarding and leaders of the Church on an official survivors’ forum, what would you say? That possibility now seems to be on the table. Good idea? Or a waste of time? #CatholicTwitter #CatholicAbuse@CatholicHerald

And this was my follow up tweet:

The burning question I want to ask on a forum is – what happens to Survivors’ claims when they’re not ‘current’ & they don’t want the hassle of legal action. It’s no good saying ‘we don’t know’. I have several sensible pro-active solutions I’d like to share on a forum.

Here were the replies, plus a few replies from my earlier tweets

1)Marilyn Hawes

@MarilynHawes9

WASTE OF TIME @RCsurvivors twitter.com/PatrickEMills/…

its simple don’t listen they don’t change worse still nor do they wish to but they purport to be religious its a joke ! do they read the bible ? I support many victims of abuse I’m sick of the catholic church too many have been harmed even forced adoption Nazareth house sickening

Pat:Thanks, Marilyn. In a couple of weeks time I may well be saying something similar to yourself. Right now, I have to give them the opportunity for ‘due diligence’. I’ve heard harrowing stories about adoption which amounts to trafficking.

2) Rafael Viola

1. rafael1viola on March 23, 2023 at 2:04 pm said:Edit

Count me in Pat if that’s ok then they can hear our voices

@RafaelViola17

Replying to @PatrickEMills and @CatholicHerald

This is the last chance saloon for me I’ve heard it all before fake apologies broken promises this is my last attempt and that I do promise

Pat:

Thanks, Rafael. They are running on borrowed time

 Rafael:

We need answers and actions right from the start and proper media attention let’s get this out in the open no more bull shit let both parties put their card’s on the table

3) Catholic Survivors England

Think it’s worth a go but wouldn’t enter into it with any expectations so you’re not too disappointed if it doesn’t work out.

Pat:
Thanks. Good advice! What I’m personally hoping for is video interview to go on a Forum. All those questions Nazir ducked and was’ too busy’ to talk to Andy. It’ll be harder – but not impossible – for them to say ‘no’ to an official forum.

Catholic Survivors:

Sounds like a really good idea – there has to be something to hold them to account. Please continue to share any updates.

4) Survivorstrong

That this is not all about policy & is a lot about culture, that the belief any ill in the church is of demonic influence leads to demonizing those reporting that harm. That continuing to point to LGBTQ+ as the problem is hiding the entitlement granted via toxic theologies.

Pat:Good point. I’m sure priests would see me as demon influenced! Issues around LGBTQ+ should be aired on a forum about RCC’s failings. If it happens, I hope you’d get into that. I know RCC was keen on conversion therapy until it was banned.

Survivorstrong:

That theologies that teach men are naturally violent & women are here for containing male sexual violence, for providing domestic comfort, for reproducing is creating great suffering & harming their stated mission of creating a just & peaceful world connected to the Divine.

Pat:Yeah, I’m personally aware as a survivor of the misogynistic nature of RCC. Specifically by their denigrating Mary Magdalene and promoting passive Virgin Mary. Your similar view needs wide airing.

5)  Jane Chevous

I always think that having honest conversations are a good idea. Have a look at our Charter as a basis for safe working https://survivorsvoices.org/charter/

Pat:
Thanks, Jane. That charter could well provide a structure where everyone feels safe in airing and receiving views

Jane:Recently they did a survivor survey about engagement. I’ll let you know when it’s published

So the Church of England doesn’t have a survivor forum as such, although there are a significant number of survivors working with them on consultations about policy, practice & training, & some co-production.

https://www.churchofengland.org/safeguarding/survivor-engagement
Survivor feedback is a good idea. At the moment I suspect most of the feedback comes in the form of complaints

Pat:Yep! And rightly so. But when the RLSS did get DBS checks on Cistercian monks on@caldeyabuse1970 did make a point of saying so. They need encouraging to do the right thing.

Jane: Also, I and 2 other survivor reps sit on their National Safeguarding Panel, which provides independent advice and scrutiny on safeguarding practice. There is a lot to do, but I wouldn’t stay if I didn’t think it made a difference.

6) StJoesCSASurvivor

I would ask why it was suggested there may be a route to access some funding for counselling from DLS and when I asked about that it, wasn’t an option any more or at best was a ‘last resort’ that was never followed up without my jumping through certain hoops first.

Pat:That’s exactly the kind of thing that should be responded to positively on a forum. We’ve both been misled in similar ways in the past. The forum itself needs to be easy access. Crystal Palace (Beulah Hill) site is good xample although I flunked the football question!

St J’s survivor:
I feel that as long as there are church lawyers protecting church interests (as I’m sure the early church had. Not), a forum is just going to be a handy resource for them, isn’t it? Am certain they’re all over our tweets and such.

7)Denis.Survivor.

I’ve been there loads of times. WASTE OF TIME. twitter.com/PatrickEMills/…

Pat:Thanks, Denis. That’s valuable to know. As I’ve said to RLSS (and they acknowledge) they have to prove themselves before anyone will take them seriously.

Dennis: I would like to meet Zollner face to face,i don’t think he realises what survivors go through on a daily basis.

8)Survivors Hall:

What will it accomplish that the Vatican Abuse summit was supposed to spark? They have more than enough information and data by now and they are not stupid people.

Pat:A forum could raise general media awareness of Survivors. And i have a raft of questions I want to ask various RCC bodies that I and other Survivors need answers to. It could also put Survivors in touch with each other and exchange info and support.

9) Joanna

Video is where it’s at.

10)Insider’s View (an expert on Catholic Religious Order child sex abuse)

Seriously, I think that a survivors’ forum would be good. The Church needs to stop pretending that “audits” of dioceses and religious orders are enough. It needs to recognize the role of the laity, both in covering up for abuse in the past and in preventing it in the present.

‪

11)@RitaTopdog

Hand over Vatican records to the police.‬

12) Raven

I get too strong and emotional at meetings to speak it’s probably best with my level of rage to do a loud protest somewhere. But my level of emotion and strength could show to people How deeply wounded you are by Catholic sex abuse.

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