WHY PUNISH ME? by Michael Moloney
“This is potentially of interest to anyone concerned with how we grow up, how we are shaped…
“It tackles – head-on – an important and pressing subject… it’s vital stuff. It’s about how we safeguard young people, how we grow up, how we interact with others.”
– KARL FRENCH, Literary Reviewer
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WHY PUNISH ME? Synopsis:
Michael Moloney tells the story of how, as a vulnerable altar boy, he was psychologically and physically abused by Catholic priests. He traces the origins of clerical abuse all the way back to one of the most influential of Church Fathers, Saint Augustine of Hippo.
In 2021 the UK Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse published a dossier of abuse in religious institutions, revealing that the church remains mired in safeguarding and clerical abuse scandals. Yet, by law every school in Britain must take part in a daily act of Collective Worship. And every year 20,000 pupils are assigned faith school places against their families’ preferences.
The author explores Augustine’s 4th century ideology and suggests drill and doctrine might play a more influential role in child abuse and adult mental well-being than has generally been recognised in mainstream social science. This book fills a gap in the shelf, lifting the lid on a story of abuse and religious indoctrination which continues to this day.
Michael Moloney Bio:
Michael Moloney is the pseudonym of an acclaimed British writer. He served as altar boy and chorister while attending boarding schools in Ireland and England, where he faced abuse. Co-author Lorna Graham spent 26 years teaching in schools. Click footer link for more information