tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518202135348193859.post5612445130876688229..comments2024-01-25T09:28:56.610+00:00Comments on Confessions of a skeptic: Catholic clerical abuse at Ealing Abbey and St. Benedict's SchoolJonathan Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00527063732905729010noreply@blogger.comBlogger224125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518202135348193859.post-16184861165204612922011-11-10T01:07:42.621+00:002011-11-10T01:07:42.621+00:00Approval from what? You or the Catholic Church?Approval from what? You or the Catholic Church?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518202135348193859.post-58880572503509416012011-11-10T00:59:27.551+00:002011-11-10T00:59:27.551+00:00I was a schoolboy at St Benedict’s from the mid 19...I was a schoolboy at St Benedict’s from the mid 1970s to early 1980s. Father David taught me RE and the ways of St Benedict, and was an inspiration, talking about “Zest for Life” and how we should live for the day. He beamed optimism, though I was wary of him instinctively as perhaps being over familiar. Father Lawrence was a good maths teacher, again very attentive to us boys. I got an A for O Level under his tuition. Also, he actually helped my brother get out of his wayward ways to focus on studies and he got a place at Cambridge University, as I did subsequently, so I had great respect for him. The most marvellous monk was Father Stanislav, who if ever I could have been converted to a real belief in Christianity would have done so. Though for some reason he was targeted as a paedophile, which made me think that this whole thing could be a witch hunt.<br />The school at that time was regulated by a strange mixture of pastoral care plus severe rule. The latter was enforced not so much by the monks but by certain lay teachers who were sadists, picking boys up by the ears and throwing brick sized wooden board rubbers indiscriminately at their heads during lessons, and whacking us on the knuckles with rulers. I remember an absurd situation where my best friend had a board rubber thrown at him which gave him an egg sized bump on the head and richoched off his head to break a window. The school sent a bill to his parents for the broken window.<br />Regarding the pastoral care, however, I got into trouble once and was destined for the cane with Father Lawrence, but he used this situation to get me on his knee instead to rub his hand up and down my inner thighs and smell my neck. Other boys told me how their trousers were taken down for a beating, and this knowledge plus the experience I had put me on a course to work hard and not get into trouble, though some rebelled and were ultimately expelled.<br />I don’t know quite how my education at St Benedict’s has affected me, but I know that I have wanted nothing to do with religion since I went there, and think that any vocation that advocates celibacy is wrong. I also think that Benedictine monks have really lost the plot on what St Benedict taught, and as they taught me. In more recent years, I have asked for some solace through a period of reflection in a Benedictine monastery, to give me some respite and reflect on what they taught me, but the monks don’t want to know. So even the ones that aren’t abusing our children are setting themselves apart from us, living comfortable (albeit celibate) lives based on the vast coffers of the Catholic Church that have been accumulated from their exploitation and abuse of people in the past.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518202135348193859.post-3147281808563710442011-11-09T23:06:16.141+00:002011-11-09T23:06:16.141+00:0023:01
I do remember. I also remember that he admit...23:01<br />I do remember. I also remember that he admitted to a sexual assault on a boy during a school trip to Italy, which couldn't be prosecuted. He had been placed on "List 99", the government-run list of those unfit to work with children.Jonathan Westhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00527063732905729010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518202135348193859.post-27717426823360949742011-11-09T23:01:44.589+00:002011-11-09T23:01:44.589+00:00Please all of you remember Fr Stanislaus was found...Please all of you remember Fr Stanislaus was found NOT GUILTY. He is not in the same category as Pearce & Maestri who were convicted.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518202135348193859.post-61517506149814340102011-10-17T20:44:52.525+01:002011-10-17T20:44:52.525+01:00JJ said...
"I was at St B's from 83 to 8...JJ said...<br /><br />"I was at St B's from 83 to 86...Around my time at St. Benedict's two boys committed suicide."<br /><br />I realise I'm coming to this thread rather late in the day, but have to comment on the above.<br /><br />I was at the school between 84 and 91, and two boys from my year committed suicide: JB in (I believe) 1988, and CD in 1991. The years don't match your time at the school, which begs the question, just how many suicides were there? And I dread to imagine just how the parents of the above feel now, after the appalling revelations of the past few years...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518202135348193859.post-69798808538024427682011-10-15T00:11:34.212+01:002011-10-15T00:11:34.212+01:00So father soaper has absconded bail and is on the ...So father soaper has absconded bail and is on the run ! <br />just wanted to say as a past pupil who left in the mid late nineties ,what about the teachers who were verbally abusive which I was on the receiving end of ( 1 for being of ethnic decent . 2 for my dyslexia in which I was ridiculed for ) I have a distinct memory in u4 of mr gipps screaming into the face of a kid in my year who had autism ! <br />If the school/abbey can harbour these sex offender priests what kind of reaching staff do they hire.<br />I was never abused by priests there but I was bullied and victimized by many teachers as well as original jr school pupils who I asume were abused by these priests. I also used to remember particular pupils who would make an effort to Blast a soccer ball at these mentioned priests.<br />All I can say is the abuse/bullying that I endured there really took my zeal for success and a good life and sent it up shit creeki hated living in ealing so much because of that school that I left the uk and moved to the usa and if I ever saw any of those people sex offender or bullys here I wouldn't even think twice in blowing there fucking heads off. St benedicts is a school that had sex offenders at the top of the food chain ,dare I say teachers with no future and chips on there shoulder in the middle (supporting bully's and racists )and kids just getting shitted on for no reason . That school robbed so many kids of a beautiful future of being educated, , and motivated people and left them feeling cheated and demoralized ! <br />Many thanks for this blog spot hats off to the creator .Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518202135348193859.post-6820582849349599662010-04-30T00:05:15.002+01:002010-04-30T00:05:15.002+01:00H, it is true that moral standards change over tim...H, it is true that moral standards change over time, it is certainly true that the sort of physical punishment that was considered normal in the 1960s wouldn't be tolerated today, and it is also true that it would be unfair to judge the actions of those in the past entirely by modern standards of morality.<br /><br />But sexual abuse has been thought of as wrong for a very long time, and that fact that it happened at the school as long ago as the 1960s doesn't make it right. And what you describe was sexual abuse. It covers a wider range of activities than just buggery. And the effects of childhood sex abuse can still be felt by victims 40 or 50 years after the event.<br /><br />Sometimes it takes that long for the victim finally to feel able to come forward and report what was done to him.<br /><br />If you would like to email me privately with details of the unnamed priest you mention, we can perhaps work out together what would be the best thing to do. I promise that anything you tell me privately will be kept confidential for as long as you wish it to be. My email address is jonathanwest22@googlemail.com.Jonathan Westhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00527063732905729010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518202135348193859.post-45366894430830028842010-04-29T20:00:34.735+01:002010-04-29T20:00:34.735+01:00It's been a while since I last posted but havi...It's been a while since I last posted but having followed this thread I have to say I take issue with the old boy that speculates that what's being discussed is simply a 'witch-hunt'.<br /><br />The recollections and the discussions they have given rise to have, I think, not only proved that there was a fundaemtal problem with this school, before, during and after my time there and it is a fact that some monks that fully deserve to be put before a court and made to awnser for their deeds have effectivly escaped. Got off scott free. That is a situation that could easily be rectified IF the powers that be chose to actually do something about it rather than participate in what has become a rather effective effort to brush over things.<br /><br />I've said before that this thread ahd another benefit of allowing former pupils such as myself an outlet. I have long carried memories but had no idea thgat others suffered too. Finding out you are not alone is rather a comfort in a strange, sad way. I guess misery really does love company.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518202135348193859.post-38350446148899631442010-04-29T18:43:12.046+01:002010-04-29T18:43:12.046+01:00I regret I have to claim annonimity as an old boy ...I regret I have to claim annonimity as an old boy of St. Benedicts.That may mean my comments are struck out as invalid but I feel I have a right to speak and be heard.<br />My time was the 1960's to early 70's. I recognise some names of monks in the press reports, and I am curious that another monk, unmentioned, who chose to meet me in his underpants and had a prediliction for hurting us boys in the Middle School and pursuing us into the baths has not been mentioned. Maybe he is dead.<br />We lived around these things,we knew no different, we emerged.You do not know what Hell is when you are young and have no point of reference. It was simply life. I was not sexually abused. Others were.But physical abuse is also vile. Beatings were common. But beatings were expected at boys schools in those days.We accepted it. We all had a far greater fear of Saturday Detention. Our parents expected us to be beaten.It was part of the hearty ethos they were paying for. Quite honestly I had far greater fear of the shear vindictivness of certain lay masters, one made no sexual advances but specialised in cracking our skulls with the edge of a ruler. Yet you know... this was the norm of the time. My cousins had similar experiences at the other boys schools.Our parents regarded it all as part of the toughening up necessary for life so we got little sympathy.<br />In a situation and with attitudes that are so different to today's I think it unfair to judge the Abbot for the quandry of how to handle things.He would have found many lay non Catholic parties advising to deal with matters quietly.That was the time. <br />I have to say that St Benedicts also had a very good side and there were monks there who taught us empathy for others and self expression that very few schools of the time even thought of tackling. The monks were far better at teaching us about feelings and the important values in life, beyond exams etc, than the lay staff .This was and is quite as relevent to a non religous as to a Catholic Life.<br />There is a campaign of hatred going on against the school which owes more to a witch hunt than to a balanced view of what should have been done at the time. The wisdom of hindsight is a wonderful thing.<br />H.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518202135348193859.post-73589271659944858672010-04-25T17:13:45.643+01:002010-04-25T17:13:45.643+01:00fairly recently deceased having suffered for quite...fairly recently deceased having suffered for quite some time with dementiaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518202135348193859.post-48034607671700352032010-04-23T13:05:26.820+01:002010-04-23T13:05:26.820+01:00Pole was Father Edmund FloodPole was Father Edmund FloodAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518202135348193859.post-90463473399654208252010-04-23T11:02:26.408+01:002010-04-23T11:02:26.408+01:00Agreed. His name was Edmund Flood and was as strai...Agreed. His name was Edmund Flood and was as straight as a die. Unlike at least four of his colleagues.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518202135348193859.post-84004007431950694962010-04-21T23:44:28.555+01:002010-04-21T23:44:28.555+01:00A bit off-topic, but can anyone please remind me o...A bit off-topic, but can anyone please remind me of the real name of the monk we called 'Pole' (on account of his height, not his nationality). He was Division Master of the Upper Fifth around 1978, and one of the very few monks who had absolutely no noticeable deviant tendencies.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518202135348193859.post-27438218360891622282010-04-21T19:23:20.272+01:002010-04-21T19:23:20.272+01:00Like the poster above, I have arrived here on acco...Like the poster above, I have arrived here on account of Father Laurence rather than Father David. After reading about Father David in the news recently I was left wondering whether Father Laurence had ever been brought to justice. I'm disappointed to find that he has not. I can say from first hand knowledge that all the stories regarding Fr Laurence's caning practices above are absolutely true. Being a somewhat unruly pupil throughout my Upper Fourtb year when Fr Laurence was Division Master, I was caned by him several times every week. I too was on weekly report, which was an excuse for a regular caning, and I was not infrequently sent out of class, which would give him another opportunity. I seem to remember getting the cane regularly even for arriving 5 minutes late in the morning, after a journey to school of around an hour. I can add one further story, which is that he would offer me a choice: six strokes of the cane with my trousers on, or three with them down, with his hand, over his knee. I remember being very shocked by this on the first occasion, but remember choosing that option at least once. My parents ask now why I didn't tell them about it at the time. The truth is that I would never have admitted to them that I was being caned, they would have thought I must have deserved it and punished me further.<br />Fortunately I have not been scarred in the terrible way that others have by my experience at St B's, I did however lose all confidence in the Catholic church on account of my experiences at the hands of Fr Laurence, and have had nothing to do with it or the school since.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518202135348193859.post-49703021008037731822010-04-17T11:54:31.506+01:002010-04-17T11:54:31.506+01:00Well I have only just found out about all of this ...Well I have only just found out about all of this and what a lot of reading I have had to do to catch up. I am not an old priorian and have had no interest in maintaining any links with the school after I left in the early 1980s. I have no doubt that many ex pupils are similar to me and are going through life blissfully unaware of all of this.<br /><br /> I joined in the junior school and then had the privilege (according to my parents) of staying until my A/Ls. I was taught religious education by Father David which I find rather ironic in the light of the events that have happened and also remember being on several CCF camps with "Captain David". He never bothered me but as I started reading about him I started scanning the posts for another name to crop up and it did. Father Laurence! No surprise to me.<br /><br /> I have empathy with who ever wrote the post 26th Nov 2009 regarding this man. I was a pupil in the middle school when Father Laurence was the headmaster. Anyone remember weekly reports for those pupils who misbehaved or did not met the academic standards which had to be handed in to him every Friday morning? I don't wish to go into details as I can feel myself getting angry. The more I think of this the more weekly reports seems to have been used as an excuse for this man to punish young boys.... my parents paid the school fees for this!<br /><br /> At the age you are in middle school you do not have the maturity and confidence to understand what is happening. It is only as you get older that you realize that what was going on in Father Laurence's study was probably more sinister than maintaining discipline over a bunch of 12 year old kids. Your character is also forming at this age and I know mine has been shaped by my experience's in the middle school. In another one of the posts above someone wrote that Father Laurence was more subtle than Father David, I would agree with that.. subtle and perhaps cleverer in a way. <br /><br /> Life (for me at least) in the junior school and senior school was ok with no sense of foul play that I was aware of. Shame that it only takes one man "in power" to ruin things.<br /><br />I feel that the school and the monks must have had some idea what was going on with Father David and show their true colours of protecting their own regardless of what is right or wrong. I have no respect for people like that, especially considering what they are supposed to stand for. Needless to say I have rarely been to church since leaving the school.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518202135348193859.post-44330813429693653092010-04-12T21:12:26.772+01:002010-04-12T21:12:26.772+01:00I was at St B's from 83 to 86. I have good mem...I was at St B's from 83 to 86. I have good memories of the place. I've been very shocked at today's Times article. I no longer live in Ealing. The only truly bad memories are of father Gregory protecting two 6th form thugs who beat me up late one night. They had been drinking under age with father Gregory at the Catholic working men's club before they did it....<br />Around my time at St. Benedict's two boys committed suicide. One of them was particularly good looking. He had doubts about his sexuality I heard. I new him only slightly - he was utterly charming. In light of how others (above)came to doubt their sexuality I have revisited my memories. I appologise for any pain I may have raked up. Can anyone shed any light. - JJJJnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518202135348193859.post-83125249284544959972010-04-11T13:37:52.612+01:002010-04-11T13:37:52.612+01:00Having read with complete wonder the comments list...Having read with complete wonder the comments listed in this excellent blog, I have absolutely no compunction in adding my name to the list of pupils that suffered at the hands of these degenerate smock-fiddlers. I too have been dealing with the trauma that these troglodytes dished out in the 70's, but assuming that I was alone in my torment, I chose to deal with it on my own. <br />I seem to have missed out on the 'collaring' of Father Gregory, so would be most grateful if anyone out there can furnish me with more details so I can further collar the pathetic gnome and put him and the catholic church back to the swamp from which they came.<br />I fully intend, now at the age of 50, to try firstly to reclaim some of my troubled years and secondly, to make damn sure these child molesters no longer have the opportunities afforded them when I was at school and keep this from happening again.Mark Tannernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518202135348193859.post-64561139655533734162010-04-10T21:40:53.726+01:002010-04-10T21:40:53.726+01:00I attended a local girls school, St Augustine’s Pr...I attended a local girls school, St Augustine’s Priory, during the 70’s and 80’s, and even we, (the girls,) knew of the systematic sexual abuse that was being carried out on boys at Benedicts. It was common knowledge and we made jokes of it amongst our peers, no doubt, as a means of coping with the horrendous reality of what actually occurring.<br /> All the names referred to in prior comments, those alleged to have committed crimes, as well those convicted, are well known to me and for some reason, through hearing the stories of ‘touching’ and “naked caning’ sessions as a young girls , the names of the perpetrators have stuck in my mind all these years.<br />I even remember telling my parents about the alleged abuses, only to be told that there must be something wrong with me and my friends for us to make such claims.<br /> I also remember at the time having concerns about “suspect” or “dodgy” priests visiting our school to conduct mass and confession.............and to this day I still have concerns!<br />For those of you who have been brave enough to disclose your story of abuse, I have utmost respect and admiration for the courage you have shown. Without you, others may not have found the strength, whilst it will help others to find the strength to come forward, as I imagine this is just the beginning of the many stories to be told !!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518202135348193859.post-72123086748637439812010-03-23T09:27:57.392+00:002010-03-23T09:27:57.392+00:00Having read the Popes letter and seen what has hap...Having read the Popes letter and seen what has happened in Ireland and now Germany I would suggest that the Abbot at Ealing Abbey should be very very worried. Its not the person who committed the assaults who is being vilfied by the press and the media. Its the people who failed to accept their responsabilities to stop it and report it. Its no good just burying your head in the sand. This is going to come back and cause the Abbey problems.I know there are some really good kind and honourable members of the community at Ealing. Please stand up and demand that the Abbott keeps his commitment to an enquirey. You owe it to yourself, the school and the churchAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518202135348193859.post-41790530191883464372010-03-15T22:29:57.756+00:002010-03-15T22:29:57.756+00:00I realise I've arrived here rather late in the...I realise I've arrived here rather late in the day so to speak but big thanks to Jonathan West for bringing up this subject in your blog, and thanks to everyone else for sharing. I remember being in the upper 4th form sometime in 1979, or maybe 1980 I forget, when Mr. Pearce was head of that form. Our particular class (if class is the right word I can't remember - it was U41 anyway) was pretty wild generally (possibly the worst year in the history of the school I heard), and was even outwardly hostile to him specifically. We were so dead certain of his sexually predatory nature, and so lacking in innocence and naivete even at such a young age, to the point that one of my former colleagues (who shall go nameless) for some reason one day wrote on the blackboard in big letters "DAVID IS A BIG F****** GAY B*ST*RD" or something to that effect. As you can imagine the next class teacher was absolutely mortified to find the bold inscription, and that day the entire class was held back in detention for one hour by one of the teaching staff (either Mr. Nonhebel, Mr. Strahan or Mr. Hardman I forget which) in order to make us give up the culprit, which we never did, thankfully, bless us =). So many years later when I found out what happened, I feel sorry for everyone involved, because it is a sad story, especially for the victims of the abuse, but there is a great irony here, that our entire class was so severely admonished, and kept in detention for stating (albeit in a fairly abusive, homophobic manner) what had to become public knowledge years later by a damning legal verdict leading to the incarceration of Mr. Pearce. Apologies to any of you regular gay folks reading by the way, I have no problem with any of you in principle or in practice, and even have friends and work colleagues who are of that persuasion. :-) The other irony is that St. Benedict's back then fairly reeked of homophobia. As a Catholic boys school, it was fundamentally right wing in it's philosophy and nature - rugby, skinheads, "bundles", out and out riots even, basically a testosterone fuelled wannabe working class football hooligan culture (even for the kids from pretty posh backgrounds), so much so that anyone who stood out as I did, actually for having longer hair and following rock or heavy metal music trends instead of Sham 69, Madness or the Specials, was at times viewed by some as gay, even though I never felt remotely inclined in that direction. On the contrary, I realise now, there was a lot of what you might call "projection" going on. In this mixed up and messed up world of the pupil population, there were of course real predators, the teachers and monks discussed above. I hope and believe that all that's happened has been a massive shock to the school and the parish community, and the fact that the school has now gone co-ed means that kind of thing could never happen again. As far as the devoutly religious community goes however, I don't think they will ever really deal with what's happened in a completely honest fashion. Many practising and devout Roman Catholics I have discussed the problem with don't seem to really deal with the issue, although they pay nice "lip service" and say things like "yes how terrible", but yeah, let's move on with our lives, because "I just can't believe it", etc. It's probably the case that religion as "a way of life" gets in the way of thinking too clearly, and that this is perhaps the root of the whole sex abuse problem at St. Benedict's, going back decades as it did. Taking a lead from Mr. West, I am considering taking a more active role in the moral cleansing of the abbey and of it's role in the school, notwithstanding the many improvements I'm sure have already been made.ex-benny boynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518202135348193859.post-52975860908138542902010-01-15T21:30:32.663+00:002010-01-15T21:30:32.663+00:00Am I right in thinking that some years ago there w...Am I right in thinking that some years ago there was an open invitation from the pulpit from the Abbot at mass for anyone who had suffered abuse at the hands of priests to come forward? I believe this was in the form of a letter read out at all Sunday masses in possibly May or June 2001 or thereabouts.This may have beeen a letter from the Westminster diocese rather than an initiative from Ealing Abbey. Nonetheless, a step in the right directon , rather than a cover-up.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518202135348193859.post-59663067861776758872010-01-12T20:04:14.826+00:002010-01-12T20:04:14.826+00:00You need have no concern. I am fully aware of how ...You need have no concern. I am fully aware of how difficult it is to share recollections of abuse, and I have no intention of making it more difficult.<br /><br />The requirement to identify yourself is applicable solely to the person or persons who want to argue in favour of paedophilia. I rather suspect that it was just one person, and that he was a common internet troll. With such people, it is necessary quickly to make it clear that they will not be given the attention they crave and the opportunity to disrupt a conversation. In my experience, once that is done, they rapidly become bored and move on. I'm keeping comments moderated for the time being in order to ensure that there are no further disturbances.<br /><br />In the meantime, you may wish to take a look at my two most recent articles here: "Chosen" and "The Abbot's Latest Statement".Jonathan Westhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00527063732905729010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518202135348193859.post-88411868198478949272010-01-12T19:54:42.613+00:002010-01-12T19:54:42.613+00:00I've flitted in and out of this blog and even ...I've flitted in and out of this blog and even left a few posts. These were done anonymosly as I was touching on some very personal and not particular enjoyable experiances I had in the middle school. If I'd had to put my name to them then frankly I wouldn't have posted at all. Still I am willing to stand by my recollections and hope that sharing them here (the first time I have ever shared them in any way) has in some way added to the discussions. I hope that we are not forced to leave our names to post because certainly it will close what for me at least was a very unexpected door through which to bring these experiances into the open.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518202135348193859.post-18547328112101480812010-01-12T00:41:07.403+00:002010-01-12T00:41:07.403+00:00I understand that some contributors here might hav...I understand that some contributors here might have bona fide reasons for wishing to post anonymously but like many interactive internet sites or pages, this blog's comments section has inevitably attracted the familiar spectrum of idiots of one kind or another ranging from the profoundly fatuous through pseudo-intellectuals to, it seems, latterday champions of child molestation reminiscent of the 1970s Paedophile Information Exchange. <br /><br />However, it looks as if Jonathan West is now under attack from the Church's equivalent of what the Israeli spooks describe as "backtalkers", professional level shills and trolls with agendas resorting to the classic internet forum ad hominem tactics deployed by those who play the man rather than the ball as part of a strategy to discredit or degrade what Mr West has achieved with this blog. <br /><br />I, for one, would be very happy to come along to Marchwood Crescent with Mr West to 'doorstep' the Abbott, and would even do so as the journalist I was, but I am not sure quite what this would achieve in practical terms.<br /><br />Shipperlee has been castigated by various people, including the Charity Commission, but the problem is wider than Shipperlee. After all, Lawrence "Florence" Soper was Abbott for several years as well, during which time GD and others had free run of St Benedict's and any vulnerable or corruptible boys who crossed their paths. <br /><br />More to the point, Shipperlee and his fellow Ealing Benedictines have probably been ordered by the lawyers to be very careful of what they say or write in case they leave the Abbey open to civil litigation by former pupils.Prosper Keatingnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518202135348193859.post-34794497018326113862010-01-11T15:22:35.086+00:002010-01-11T15:22:35.086+00:00If you want to discuss here anything related to cl...If you want to discuss here anything related to claims that paedophilia is good, then you identify yourself. I really don't care whether you think I am being a net Nazi for defining and applying such a policy. That's how things will be.<br /><br />From now on, that includes complaints about the policy itself. if you complain, you identify yourself first.Jonathan Westhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00527063732905729010noreply@blogger.com