There’s a Nigerian movie titled “October 1”, produced and directed by the fine Kunle Afolayan. It’s one of these very impressive Nigerian movies that can be categorized as “foreign Nigerian movies”. The movie held its audience spell-bound till the very end. You could not predicate what may happen the next second so you just had to sit tight and see for yourself.

Given the significance October 1 holds in Nigeria, one would quickly assume that the movie is themed around politics. Well, far from it. The movie was about a serial killer who always raped his victims before killing them. Just that events of the story happened around the time we were granted independence.

The killer was highly calculative and seemed to always be a step ahead of the Police officer who was transferred to the village specifically to unravel the misery behind all the killings. Well, the killer turned out to be the Prince of the village who had recently returned after many years of glorious exploits in pursuit of education, becoming the first graduate of the village. Making his father, the King proud and affirming that royalty really has the finest.

This is not a movie review, but the background of that movie is similar to my discussion. Recently, reports were received on long records of sexual abuse by Catholic Priests. Though the records unravelled are for a particular state in the United States, but it would be denial to think that cases of sexual abuse by Priests is peculiar to just that parish, church or state.
I already told you the movie, October 1 was quite intriguing. You see, it was unraveled that the serial killer and rapist was a victim of sexual abuse in the hands of a Priest almost throughout his duration in secondary school.

The long duration of the abuse is really disheartening, more so is the fact that the killer was not the only one who was abused. As twisted as the movie was, the young Prince and another boy won a scholarship to study in a boarding school managed by a church. The other boy returned home, abandoning the school and education entirely(abhorring both afterwards) and never told anyone why. The reason for his “drop-out” was unraveled alongside the identity of the killer. It turned out they both, and other boys in the school then were being molested by a Priest. The other boy could not take it any longer and he returned home. Forgoing the opportunity of acquiring education and all other opportunities that may come with being educated.

The recent report implicating Catholic Priests across six Catholic Dioceses in Pennsylvania in many decades of sexual molestation and abuse on children and other parishioners is a rude scandal both for/to the Roman Catholic church and the Christendom at large.

As more information is being uncovered, revealing many years of amoral acts that was carried out and covered-up by people many people look up to for moral guidance and standard. A scandal like this leads many to a crisis of fate, worse still in a world like ours today that is in disarray of beliefs and what to believe. Going by the narration in October 1, who knows how many people that have given up on opportunities just because they could not live the horrors of living a life of everyday abuse? Or how many people that were able to “cope with it” and went on to live fractured lives, harming and causing others pain.

Over the years, “men of God” have been implicated in allegations of misdealings and heinous acts. These allegations are not restricted to matters of sexuality only. One thing this scandal should teach is first, the (now) undeniable reality of sexual abuse in the church. Secondly, the fallibility of Catholic Priests and the church(and all of its members) at large. We should look at this second point from a positive angle for it would soothe the guilt that plagues many hearts. For it is easy to seek redemption if you recognize and admit your own fallibility.

Follow the link to read the full article.

http://www.ezinnearua.com/2018/08/16/sexual-abuse-scandal-catholic-priests-version/