A painful journey

The Apostolic Visitation to Ireland called by Pope Benedict XVI in response to the suffering caused by abuses by priests and religious, and in order to help the Church in her “path of renewal”, is due to begin, as confirmed in a press release issued by the Holy See on November 12. A thorough inquiry will be conducted by a pool of 9 Visitators engaged in four national archdioceses, in Irish seminars (including the Pontifical Irish College in Rome), and in religious homes. The press release makes known that the first stage of the visit should be completed by Easter 2011 so as to study the results by May. Objective of the visit and remarks. The purpose of the Apostolic Visitation is to establish “the effectiveness of the present processes used in responding to cases of abuse and of the current forms of assistance provided to the victims”. The press release provides a series of important clarifications. Firstly, the Visitation “will not be an investigation into individual cases of abuse nor a trial to judge past events”. This means that “the Visitation will in no way interfere with the ordinary activity of local magistrates, nor with the activity of the Commissions of Investigation established by the Irish Parliament nor with the work of any legislative authority, which has competence in the area of prevention of abuse of minors”. Furthermore, “The Visitation does not seek to replace the legitimate authority of the local Bishops or Religious Superiors, who maintain responsibility in the handling of cases of abuse”. The Vatican statement underlines that “the Visitators are not expected to receive allegations of new or old cases of abuse”. “If any were to arise, such allegations must be reported to the respective Ordinaries or Major Superiors who have the duty to inform the competent civil and ecclesiastical authorities, in conformity with the current civil and ecclesiastical laws”. A thorough inquiry. The press release thus informs on the Apostolic Visitations scheduled in structures of the Irish Church. The Visitators of the four Irish Metropolitan Archdioceses “will make themselves available to meet with those who have been deeply wounded by abuse and who wish to be met and heard, beginning with the victims themselves and their families”. Visitations will take place in Irish seminars that involve St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth; the Pontifical Irish College, Rome; Saint Malachy’s College, Belfast; All Hallows College, Dublin; Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy, Dublin. Each staff member and student will be granted the possibility to express to the Visitator in a signed statement his opinion about the seminary. “The Visitator will examine all aspects of priestly formation”. He, or his assistants, continues the press release, “will conduct private interviews with all staff members, all seminarians and, where applicable, other parties normally involved in the life of the seminary”. Each priest who has graduated from the seminary in the previous three years will be given the opportunity for a private interview. The first phase of this Visitation will consist in responding to a Questionnaire, which seeks information regarding the involvement of Institutes in cases of abuse, the responses offered to victims, and the compliance of the Institute with the protocols.The Apostolic Visitation to the Archdiocese of Dublin. “I have come to listen, not to offer a quick fix. I come to listen to your pain, your anger, but also your hopes and aspirations”, said on Sunday November 14, Cardinal Sean O’ Malley, archbishop of Boston, appointed Apostolic visitor to Dublin’s Catholic archdiocese by the Holy See. “We are here to be available to meet with some of those who have been harmed by abuse and wish to meet with us” – the Cardinal said. We “look forward to meeting with as many as possible from the victims themselves, the bishops, the priests and religious and the laity of the archdiocese, knowing that the crisis of the sexual abuse of minors has profound repercussions in the life of the entire community”. According to the “Irish Times”, His Eminence has already met a group of abuse victims in a separate meeting at “All Hallows College” in Dublin, which lasted one and a half hours. An official statement released by the Irish Bishops’ Conference informs that Archbishop O’ Malley will be accompanied by a pool of experts (consisting of Barbara Thorp, John Connolly e Thomas Hannigan). “They have been invaluable collaborators in Boston, and I am certain their experience will be very helpful to me during this Visitation”, His Eminence said. During the Holy Mass of Sunday November 14 Cardinal O’Maley was given a warm welcome by Msgr. Diarmuid Martin. “Renewal in the Church is vital at any time in the Church’s history. The Archdiocese of Dublin today is wounded by sinful and criminal acts of priests who betrayed the trust of vulnerable young children. This behaviour has wounded the body of Christ. People have lost their trust in the Church. For many young people the recent scandals have become the final element in their alienation from the Church. The Church in Dublin is called to renewal; and once there can be no renewal without conversion”.