A year later

“The abuse of children by some priests and religious was an appalling wrong. The inadequate response by some Church leaders has left a deep wound that may never be fully healed”. These words loaded with shame and suffering open the “Irish Bishops’ Pastoral Response” to the Letter of Benedict XVI to the Catholics of Ireland released exactly a year ago (on March 19 2010), ensuing the tragic episode of abuse on minors uncovered by governmental inquiries carried out in 2009 which came as a severe shock to the Country.Concrete commitments for healing. Cardinal Seán Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland has encouraged everyone to read the 16-page document titled “Towards Healing and Renewal”, copies of this pastoral response are available in parishes across the country. The document represents a pastoral response to the immense suffering of the victims of abuse and to the ensuing loss of faith experienced by Catholics in Ireland. The journey of healing proposed by Irish Bishops consists in six concrete steps. These range from the proposal of a monthly penance prayer and prayer for the all those who suffered abuse, encouraging parishes to continue to listen and respond to abuse reports. The bishops equally call for spiritual support. As relates to creating a safer future for children in the Church, the bishops highlight the cooperation with the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland (NBSCCCI), which includes a commitment to full cooperation with the competent authorities in the South as well as in Northern Ireland. The bishops pledge to continue to provide financial resources to the structures for safeguarding children. In addition, in February 2011 the bishops, the Conference of Religious of Ireland, and the Irish Missionary Union launched a new Catholic counselling and support service, for survivors of abuse, that includes a freephone helpline offering confidential caring support by experts.No apology. “No apology, no gesture of repentance or sorrow can ever make up for the hurt that has been caused to those abused and to their families: they have been grievously harmed and let down by people who professed the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are deeply ashamed of this and we are profoundly sorry for any failures on our part. Today we wish to give expression to that sorrow by expressing our commitment to existing initiatives as well as to a number of new initiatives. Our hope is that these initiatives will enhance the personal, pastoral, spiritual and practical support available to survivors of child physical and sexual abuse by some priests and religious in the Catholic Church in Ireland”. “What is set out here today represents only part of a wider response of a longer journey to be undertaken by the Church in helping to bring healing and peace to survivors of abuse”. Another major challenge is that of restoring confidence in the Church. The steps proposed in the document have been shaped in large part by the conversations of bishops with survivors of abuse to ensure best practice in child safeguarding and to bring about healing.Prayer and listening. In their document the bishops invite parishes to dedicate the first Friday of each month to prayer and fasting in reparation for abuse by clergy and for the failure of leadership in the Church to respond to it effectively. “One of our greatest failures in the past was our failure to listen to the distressing cries of those who were abused as children by priests or religious. Many who were courageous enough to speak about what happened to them found that no one would listen”, the bishops write in the document. Follows the commitment by the Irish Episcopate: “We renew our commitment today to listen with openness, sensitivity and care to those who have been abused”. The bishops’ commitment involves parish communities that ought to become “places of welcome, listening and support for those who have suffered physical and sexual abuse by Church personnel”. “Parish communities have a key part to play in giving expression to the commitment of the whole Catholic community to addressing the failings of the past and bringing healing and renewal to all who have been harmed”.