Not just a few priests

Brian Knott of Elgin in his April 11 letter seems to believe that the sexual abuses against children in the Catholic Church were committed by a few aberrant priests. Not true.

Mr. Knott needs to see the film "The Magdalene Sisters" and the documentary on the same.

In Ireland, the Catholic Church owned and operated large laundry workplaces where girls and women were shut in for years, some for life, as punishment for various, in the eyes of the Church, "sins." Some had borne a child out of wedlock. Their babies were taken away from them and they were committed to the Magdalenes.

Some had the misfortune of being raped, and instead of punishing the man, the girl was committed. Orphan girls who were pretty or had beautiful hair, and therefore considered a temptation to men, were shut in at the Magdalenes.

They were worked hard doing other peoples' laundry from morning until night for no pay. They were prevented from any contact with their families or anyone outside the institution.

The astounding fact about the Magdalene Sisters is that these slave institutions existed as late as 1996.

If the Catholic Church did this in Ireland, who knows what it did in other Catholic countries?

Inez Tornblom

Elgin