A DEVOUT Christian’s horror of bare boobies has set the blogosphere alight this week – but a much more disturbing story, concerning the Catholic Church’s cover-up of a the abuse of children with learning difficulties, has just emerged from Australia.
Rihanna: She exposed more flesh than a good Christian could handle
The first tale concerns Northern Ireland farmer Alan Graham. He apparently got all of a lather when pop star Rihanna revealed too much flesh while shooting a video on his property.
Graham, the 61-year-old member of the Democratic Unionist Party on North Down Borough council who has a Christian message emblazoned on one of his barns near Bangor, Northern Ireland, told the singer off, and suggested she get to know a God better.
Said Graham:
I thought it was inappropriate. I requested them [the film crew] to stop and they did. I wish no ill will against Rihanna and her friends. Perhaps they could acquaint themselves with a greater God.
Graham added:
She understood where I was coming from. We shook hands and parted company on good terms.
The story from Australia concerns the Catholic Church, which, according to this report, sought to cover up a police investigation into abuse of childen with learning difficulties at one of its schools – St Ann’s Special School in Adelaide
Twenty-year-old documents have revealed the church received legal advice telling it to avoid mentioning in writing charges of sexual abuse against a volunteer bus driver at St Ann’s Special School in Adelaide.
Jailed paedophile Perkins
The bus driver, Brian Bertram Morris Perkins, 71, worked at the school from 1986 to 1991 and not only abused students himself but introduced them into a ring of paedophiles.
The silence was maintained for a decade until 2001, when a group of parents discovered the abuse and pushed for answers. They discovered Perkins had been charged but skipped bail and had been living in Queensland. He was finally extradited, a decade after the allegations were first made, and convicted in 2003.
Legal advice at the time suggested that a severance letter from the Catholic Education Office to Perkins should be “neutral”, so at to protect the then Catholic Archbishop, Leonard Faulkner.
In the event that the letter were for some reason to fall into media hands at some future time, it allows the Archbishop (Leonard Faulkner) to deal with the matter without being compromised by any previous correspondence.
The draft severance letter to the bus driver tells him that there will be no need for him to attend the school premises, but there is no mention or suggestion why his services are no longer needed.
And, unbelievably, it also said that his:
Contribution as a volunteer bus driver for disabled students has been appreciated.
However, current Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson said he doesn’t think the letters indicate there was a cover-up. His mealy-mouthed response was:
I don’t think there was any intent to cover it up. I think that people were offering legal advice about these matters in the context in which they did; that is a context that no longer applies now.
According to this website, two men who have Down Syndrome suffered five years of sexual abuse at the hands of Perkins. They have launched a civil lawsuit and are claiming unspecified damages from Perkins, St Anne’s Special School and the Catholic Church.
In 2003, Perkins pleaded guilty in the District Court to two counts of causing or inducing a child to expose his body, two of indecent assault and one of inciting or procuring a child to perform an indecent act.
The court was told that between 1987 and 1991, he videotaped, photographed and sexually assaulted three boys with Down Syndrome who attended the school where he worked as a bus driver. He also volunteered at the school as a woodwork teacher.
Hat tip: Agent Cormac, Pete H and BarrieJohn (Rihanna reports) and Daz (Oz report)
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
September 28th, 2011 at 11:33 am
The farmer and Rihanna and her film crew seemed to reach a reasonable and amicable agreement to disagree, but I’m not sure why he let her onto his property in the first place if he has a problem with women revealing their flesh. Had he really never heard of her?
“I don’t think there was any intent to cover it up. I think that people were offering legal advice about these matters in the context in which they did; that is a context that no longer applies now.”
What context applied then that no longer applies now? Sexual abuse was ok? The church’s authority was more important than child safety? Honestly, I can’t think of anything else; it seems this guy’s attempts to protect the image of the church simply buries them deeper.
September 28th, 2011 at 11:47 am
The stories of cover ups by the catholic church just keep on coming. How anyone can still believe that this was not an organised way of doing things by said church is beyond me. They did it then and I have no doubts at all that they are still doing it right now. Will we discover in another 20 years that the church authorities, somewhere in the world, were organising a cover up today? Anyone want to place a bet? This is why the vatican refuses to open up, they know that they are doing just this right now.
September 28th, 2011 at 12:07 pm
@Graham: yes, but you must realize that catholic priests and people commit less paedophilic crime, on average, than other kiddy fiddlers. So it’s alright then! We mustn’t be judgmental – Ratzi said so.
Compassion is what is needed now – for the child rapers – while RCC Inc ducks and weaves and avoids all responsibility – as in this case. You are right; this case is more proof that the coverups were, and are, RCC policy dictated by the vatican.
September 28th, 2011 at 12:53 pm
Farmer said he had no idea who she was. I have no problem with that…his land, his standards. Fair enough. The film crew were daft not to realise what NI protestants might be like though.
The RC church continues to unravel.
September 28th, 2011 at 12:57 pm
One story of abuse followed by another, another…Yet still the catholics stick doggedly to and continue to finance their religion. The abuse is not as the vatican claims, a few bad apples but many barrel fulls of complete and utter bastards.
Re Rihanna: “Had he really never heard of her?” Er, I hadn’t heard of this awful screeching bimbo either but then I’m a middle aged old bird.
September 28th, 2011 at 3:11 pm
Rihanna – To paraphrase Dennis Pennis: “Would you ever consider making a video in which you keep your clothes on?”
The Catholic Church – How much longer is this disgusting institution going to be allowed to get away with this stuff?
September 28th, 2011 at 3:24 pm
The RC Church pushes superstition which its priests don’t believe themselves. It’s a meal ticket. Most of its followers don’t believe the superstition either but, as a jolt of anxiety runs through them at the words secularism and atheism, prefer to keep their minds shut. Other than under the aegis of religion the myths they purport to believe would get them sectioned under the Mental Health Act.
Ratzinger, cocooned in his fantasy world, howls about the need for evangelical initiatives. They cannot win because what they insist must be believed offends common sense and reason. And the cruelty and perversions which flow from these beliefs can no longer be hidden even from their followers.
September 28th, 2011 at 5:00 pm
@Angela K
Rihanna actually a bit better than a bimbo. She fronted a programme about single mothers and my mum (92 year old catholic) was transfixed and impressed.
September 28th, 2011 at 5:14 pm
Surely the World is waking up to these bigots. The more outragous the better for publicity can be a good thing to show what idiots they are
September 28th, 2011 at 6:39 pm
Hasn’t he got a massive Massey Ferguson?
http://youtu.be/kAh_A7N3_mc
(He’s lucky he didn’t end up with two acres!)
September 28th, 2011 at 7:51 pm
I think that this post highlights very well the skewed nature of religious morality. On the one hand we have a guy who is horrified by the entirely harmless exposure of some bewbs. On the other hand we have a systematic cover up of the rape and torture of children. Religious people see evil where non exists and when true evil raises its vile head, they look the other way.
The ever cynical Mrs. Stonyground has pointed out that the record company, requiring a field for their video may have plumped for the guy with a Christian slogan on his barn for a purpose. “Here he comes on his tractor now Rhiana, time to whip your top off”.Thus we give him a shock, and get us a shedload of publicity.
Rhiana also did a song called ‘Take a Bow’ which was about an unfaithful partner but has a couple of lines that could have been written for the Pope:
“Don’t tell me you’re sorry ’cause your not,
baby when I know you’re only sorry you got caught.”
September 28th, 2011 at 9:32 pm
Barriejohn, if we’m goin’ ’ave Wurzels, let’s at least ’ave one with Adge Cutler on ut.
September 28th, 2011 at 9:47 pm
If anyone wants to see the whole heartbreaking story about abuse at St Anne’s,here it is.
http://www.abc.net.au/iview/#/view/831346
September 28th, 2011 at 10:37 pm
Stonyground: It was “The Apostle Paul” himself who said “To the pure all things are pure.” Funny that, when Christians spend their entire lives declaiming: “Ooh, look, isn’t that disgusting?”.
Did you all receive your Private Eye in today’s post?
BC = Before Cameron
AD = After Dave
It’s obvious when you think about it!
September 29th, 2011 at 1:00 am
If Rihanna wanted to stroll around my land with her luscious, firm yet yielding breasts straining to escape their too-small moorings I wouldn’t mind. No.
I could live with that.
We have to suffer for art.
September 29th, 2011 at 2:51 am
Part one is a bit of a giggle. Imaging the god bothering sod getting upset over a beautiful woman? Part two is another, in a long line of catholic church cover ups. Being a bit dim, as they would have to be to subscribe to the nonsense they all fawn over, we should expect that their secrets will all eventually come out. To get away with it for years does indicate some cleverness, probably from someone outside the church, not infected with the nonsense. This can be considered a good thing, as their nefarious ways will spill out, revealing even more about a corrupt and sick church corporation that will, with luck be forced to face the music and pay for their sickening crimes. Yuk.
September 29th, 2011 at 8:18 am
I sometimes idle away an hour or two debating life, the universe and everything with catholics on their own blogs and sites, and when the subject of abuse arises I am constantly met with sentiments such as, ‘Oh, will you give it a rest – it’s ancient history, this was all dealt with years ago’.
It is unbelievable how the church and its supporters truly believe that the RCC has atoned for the wrongdoing of a few rogue priests and it’s time the entire world moved on. (I have been shut out of a few more ‘official’ sites for suggesting that this isn’t actually the case.)
Yes, I’m sure they do wish the whole shameful affair could be conveniently consigned to the dustbin of history. But if religious people demand the right to censure the rest of the world for not living up to their own pious, iron-age standards, they should perhaps try looking in the mirror first and asking themselves a few awkward, pertinent and still very current questions.
September 29th, 2011 at 8:53 am
The story about the paedophile speaks for itself, nothing new there.
The farmer one surprises and annoys me a little more though. This is just the sort of Christianity that tends to go unnoticed but is no less irritating. In any other context this would be a much bigger issue nationwide i.e. a situation where he makes a deal, then adds his own terms as he goes along.
P.S. SURELY before allowing her to use his field he had at least some idea of who she was…how naiive can a person be…
September 29th, 2011 at 9:20 am
Matt
Imagine if the boot had been on the other foot: had a secular farmer turfed a bunch of xtians off his land because they offended his sensibilities, The Daily Wail and the CLC would no doubt have been all over it like a rash, bleating on about persecution, intolerance and how nobody respects the religious pillar of Western culture any more.
September 29th, 2011 at 9:28 am
This farmer is a self righteous, sanctimonious prig. He has four children. How do these clowns ever manage to procreate: in the dark, certainly not naked, wham bam thank you mam, definitely missionary position.
Or is his pontificating the usual show of spurious sanctity to make an impression on his equally hypocritical friends? No substance, no truth but groups of christians offering their pretences to each other. Nature always wins as we see from the desperately repressed priesthood who struggle, although increasingly less so, in vain.
September 29th, 2011 at 9:34 am
@AgentCormac,
Just to follow on from your points.
In regards to the ongoing exposure of catholic abuse, I think, there is a lot more to come out. As the third world regions have been the depository for paedo-priests, its only a matter of time before stories start coming out from Africa, South America etc.
I am glad to say, I think these continuing embarrassments for the RC church are going to run and run for a long time.
September 29th, 2011 at 10:19 am
@tony e: The Third World areas have provided what must have seemed an endless supply of young victims and with no danger of exposure. That safety will now begin to disappear. Further, the invulnerabilty from exposure, long enjoyed by priests, is now eroding. Their happy days of inflicting their perversions on their helpless victims may well be coming to an end.
I wonder about the extent to which RC priests become sadistic perverts as a consequence of the attempt to force a celibate life on them. Or does the RC Church, as a haven for perverts and where they are protected, attract such men? Or is this behaviour just in the normal run of humankind whether priests or not? Celibacy, the wierdest perversion, must have a distorting effect, I suppose.
I just can’t get my head round the effect on celibate, young, healthy, hetero-sexual priests as a result of conducting marriage ceremonies on young, healthy, hetero-sexual couples.
September 29th, 2011 at 10:46 am
tony e & Broga
Sadly, I think you’re right – there will be more cases come to light in those regions of the world where guilty priests have been quietly hidden away.
But what really gets my goat, regardless of where and when the revelations occur, is the arrogance of the church and the lack of real scrutiny that takes place in the mainstream media. If this scandal had been found to be occurring within the ranks of a global charity, for example, the story would be front-page news around the world for years, and that charity would, having been discredited to the core, have no choice but to cease operating.
Unfortunately, far too many people are happy to accept the RCC’s lies and placations for the simple reason they would otherwise find a lifetime of indoctrination unravelling before their eyes. The prospect of which, I would suggest, simply does not bear thinking about for a great many believers who would rather look away from the horror of abuse than face the reality of the religion they have bought into
It’s a fact of life that the RCC knows only too well and is a fear it is happy to keep playing on until the whole story really does become history.
September 29th, 2011 at 10:52 am
“Said Graham: I thought it was inappropriate.”
Once again it seems that when God speaks to people, he only says what they are already thinking and want to hear. But when he speaks through someone to tell others, he always tells them they are behaving badly.
Has god never heard of positive reinforcement? If he want to change people’s behaviour, always telling them off and punishing them when they get it wrong is not the way to go about it.