Former priest speaks out over abuse report

Long Island novelist recalls life in the priesthood

“The more I read about the industrial schools and the treatment of the kids there, the more I reflected on how cruel the behavior of the priests was towards us. All the guys in the seminary came out of schools like mine.

“We weren’t brutalized the way the industrial schoolboys were, but we were mistreated, subjected to sarcasm and bullying and nonstop hunger -- we were adolescent boys and we were being underfed -- and I was always angry about it then and now.

True history has yet to be written

“That’s what drove me to research my new book and the industrial school system. As I read about these industrial schools the more I saw how widespread it was. The only industrial school that was completely run by diocesan priests -- the now demolished Baltimore school in Cork -- was also the one with the most enduring reputation for cruelty.”

The true history of Ireland in the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s has yet to be written, Phelan says.

“You see, people may not realize that the more kids the industrial schools picked up, the more money they got from the government. We have to accept the fact that thousands of Irish children were destroyed by this,” he says.

“When I heard that the Christian Brothers in Ireland had brought a lawsuit to prevent the naming of the abusers in their own order I was very angry and I realized that the Irish government still has not shaken off the power of the church.”

​
Nster.com