Article: Hear what Roger Mahony does not want you to hear. Bishop who confronts sex and crime in the Church to speak in LA 6/12

“He sees how the abuse has come into a delicate and complicated truth of our lives, that we grow and develop by our experience of love,” Honore continued. “In those episodes of clergy abuse, the whole ability to love and trust was gouged like it was run through with a bulldozer.

“Robins admits there is no simple counseling, deep study is needed,” Honore said.

“He gives examples in a way that helps you to as an outsider get in touch with that reality and you start to understand how it’s going to take a long-long time in most instances, if the victims will ever be able to gain trust and to experience love.”

How does Robinson demonstrate that?
I asked.

“It comes up in Chapter 11 of the book, where he says some are trying to counsel people into forgiveness and healing without knowing how to walk the walk themselves.”

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Bishop Robinson had been molested as a child by an adult himself but did not realize the damage until he worked with other victims.
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Robinson was appointed in 1994 to the Australian Catholic Church's national professional standards committee to help develop procedures to respond to sex abuse complaints

He did not come out about his own sexual abuse publicly until three years after retirement, with the publication of the book. But his years working with the committee caused him to look at his own abuse differently.

Robinson is quoted as saying: "It was talking with victims and some of the things they said that aroused feelings and memories in my own mind. With the help of counselors, I became conscious of some of the effects it had had on me."

"I never wish to see any boy taken into the seminary at that age again."

Here are some quotes from the book’s Introduction.

ME: After reading a bit of it, I hope survivors have a presence at all three Robinson appearances in Southern California, if for no other reason, to show the world that the church needs to go in the direction of Geoffrey Robinson from Australia, not continue with the mafioso style strong arming of Roger Mahony of Hollywood.

QUOTES FROM INTRODUCTION

ROBINSON: In 1994 I was appointed by the Australian bishops to a position of leadership in responding to revelations of abuse, and for the following nine years I was at the heart of this storm within my country.

I felt sick to the stomach at the stories that victims told me.

It is inevitable that many will react to the sexual abuse of minors according to older values rather than with a new mind to meet a new problem.

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