Missing the point on paedophile priests  Mary Kenny has no
experience of the problem of abuse by priests. But I, like
everyone in Ireland, know that thousands suffered at their hands
• theguardian.com,     • Jump to comments ()  "Strange is the
crooked timber of humanity", wrote Mary Kenny on Cif belief
yesterday, summing up her observations that the priests she has
personally known were nice chaps and certainly not paedophiles.
"I honestly have no experience of it [and therefore can't write
about it]", was her given reason for this response to
yesterday's Ryan report, which detailed the systematic rape and
abuse of thousands of children by Christian Brothers and
"Sisters of Mercy" in industrial schools in Ireland.  Strange
indeed. I grew up Catholic in Ireland, and like Kenny I
thankfully have no direct experience of abuse by a member of the
church. But that is where the similarity ends. Like everyone in
Ireland, and millions elsewhere, I know that there were
thousands of children beaten, raped and abuse