The dark side of Ireland

Early 21st century —

The stories that are prying open the institution show that rape of children was endemic within the Irish Catholic church, and that its heirarchy knew.

The Catholic church was the state religion, one generation ago. There were three men you respected — banker, cop, and priest. The priest was #1.

It turns out that a lot of these priests were having sex with kids.

"A lot" does not mean that anything like most priests were committing such crimes — it just means that child-rapists within the Irish Catholic institutions were greatly more common than in other institutions responsible for taking care of children. (In the Ireland of a generation ago there were no others — it was all Catholic, all the time.)

The word "endemic" is common in recent articles, reports, and studies. The sexual abuse of children by the priesthood was quasi-normal.

Violent abuse of children in the schools was just normal.