Betrayal and shame

On December 11, the Holy Father, “deeply disturbed and distressed”, met two “senior Irish bishops and high-ranking members of the Roman Curia. He discussed with them the Report on child-abuse by priests from the Catholic archdiocese in Dublin. The President of the Irish Bishops’ Conference Card. Seán Baptist Brady, and the archbishop of Dublin, Msgr. Diarmuid Martin, attended the meeting. The Apostolic Nuncio in Ireland was also present. The words of the Pope. The Pope “listened to their concerns and discussed with them the traumatic events that were presented in the Irish Commission of Investigation’s Report into the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin. According to a communiqué of the Vatican press office, “the Holy Father was deeply disturbed and distressed” by its contents. The Pope “wishes once more to express his profound regret at the actions of some members of the clergy who have betrayed their solemn promises to God, as well as the trust placed in them by the victims and their families, and by society at large”. The Pope “shares the outrage, betrayal and shame felt by so many of the faithful in Ireland, and he is united with them in prayer at this difficult time in the life of the Church”. “His Holiness asks Catholics in Ireland and throughout the world to join him in praying for the victims, their families and all those affected by these heinous crimes”. Benedict XVI, states the note of the Holy See, “assures all concerned that the Church will continue to follow this grave matter with the closest attention in order to understand better how these shameful events came to pass and how best to develop effective and secure strategies to prevent any recurrence”. The Holy See “takes very seriously the central issues raised by the report, including questions concerning the governance of local Church leaders with ultimate responsibility for the pastoral care of children”. The Holy Father intends to address a Pastoral Letter to the faithful of Ireland in which he will “clearly indicate the initiatives that are to be taken” in response to the situation. Finally, the Pope “encourages all those who have dedicated their lives in generous service to children to persevere in their good works in imitation of Christ the Good Shepherd”.The Report. The 720-page Report of the Commission chaired by Judge Murphy was made public past November 26. After years of reticence, marked by the conspiracy of silence on the issue, allegations of child abuse against 46 priests in the years 1975-2004 finally came to the fore. The tragic question had already been unveiled in the Ryan Commission report issued in May, reporting on the ill-treatment and abuse inflicted on children in institutions run by religious orders. The Report equally highlights the responsibility of the ecclesiastic hierarchy, accused of covering-up the pedophiles, and of having moved them from one parish to the next to protect the Church’s reputation. With the two Reports Irish bishops took full stock of their responsibility issuing declarations and public statements on the matter. In a note issued immediately after their meeting with the Pope, the bishops recalled that 7 October last an historic meeting took place in Maynooth between representatives of four survivor groups and the Irish Bishops’ Conference. In commenting on the meeting, bishop Colm O’Reilly  declared, “Today our task was to devise a road map for the future and that is what we have done”.The remarks. Pope Benedict XVI pronounced “powerful words” against the sexual abuse of minors on the part of Irish priests. These words are “in continuity” with the Pontiff’s declarations on similar cases reported in the United States and in Australia, since the Holy See does not wish to place these episodes, nor their consequences on Church establishment, “under the carpet”, said Father Federico Lombardi, presenting the Vatican communiqué on the meeting of His Holiness with the Roman Curia and the high-ranking dignitaries of the Irish Catholic Church to journalists. It is a ”powerful, in-depth statement”, he said. ”The Pope has taken the issue very seriously, he used very strong tones, and reiterated that all the aspects of the issue need to be thoroughly investigated”. The Pope’s Letter to Irish Catholics will convey apologies and spiritual comfort along with ”concrete guidelines to prevent the reiteration of such abuses”.