heelers takes a punch

The words came quick.
I didn't respond.
The words were.
"You don't care about children who've had penises shoved up their arses by priests. You love the institution of the church and you won't accept any criticism of it. Your response lacks humanity."
If the words had come from an enemy or an opponent it wouldn't have mattered.
But from a kinsman.
Of my own rank.
I chose not to speak.
Very occasionally I do that.
But of course I was thinking...
I was thinking: "No family in Ireland is untouched by child abuse. The church is my family. If you want to disrespect the church or to destroy it because of the tragedy that has befallen it, you must first disrespect me and you must know you are doing it. And I don't particularly see what's so humanitarian about misleading the general public into thinking the majority of sex abuse victims were abused by clerical people, when the truth is that the vast preponderance of sex abuse victims are abused in the family home, in sports clubs and schools, and at the hands of paedophile rings. I don't see what's so humanitarian about ignoring the most serious sex abuse victims simply because they weren't abused by the right people."
And I was thinking: "You think I care about an institution and not about the children... How little you know me."
But I said nothing.
I knew if I spoke, I would lose my brother.