It's disturbing to me on so many levels that it's hard to get my head around it. I grew up in the Catholic Church. I was educated in the Catholic school system (In Ontario there are 2 publicly funded school systems). Although I'm not a regular attendee of mass, my Catholic upbringing has been of great value to me over the years. It instilled in me a strong sense of love, compassion and service to others.
I've had the great fortune of receiving guidance and friendship from priests and especially nuns over the years. To know that these unthinkable crimes and the subsequent handling of these predators by the Catholic hierarchy in Rome, also smears the reputations and names of these wonderful people is sad to me.
More tragic however are the hundreds if not thousands of children who have been sexually abused by these monsters. Anyone who lives in this area of Ontario knows very personally the devastation these predators can inflict. I went to school with and know several victims of sexual abuse by a local Catholic priest. It breaks my heart to pieces.
Now it is becoming known that the Church actively covered-up the abuses, and furthermore did nothing to prevent them from happening again. This angers me to my core.
So here are a few recent Illustrations that deal with this topic.
This first Illustration depicts a Cardinal, representing Church hierarchy, sweeping the dirt under the Vatican.
This second Illustration shows the predatory nature of the offending priests. The tarnished cross represents the battered image of the Church .
Finally the victims. The many children who were betrayed by the very ones they believed would guide and protect them.
If you have any comments regarding my artwork or the subject matter they deal with, please feel free to comment. I'd love to hear from you.Paul
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