RTE News [Vatican]
October 28, 2006
http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/1028/pope.html
The Catholic Primate, Archbishop Sean Brady, has invited Pope Benedict to visit Ireland.
He issued his invitation during a meeting this morning between the Irish Hierarchy and the Pontiff.
In his response, Pope Benedict did not refer directly to the invitation but expressed his appreciation for Archbishop Brady's gracious words.
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| Benedict XVI Invited to visit Ireland |
The Pope told the Irish bishops they face an urgent task to rebuild confidence and trust in the wake of the clerical sexual abuse scandals.
And he urged them to be bold in leading Catholics in their response to immigration and said they must join him in correcting the idea that Catholicism is merely a collection of prohibitions.
Welcoming the more than 30 bishops at a private meeting in the Apostolic palace, Pope Benedict set out the challenges facing them as their obligatory 5-yearly visit to the Vatican draws to a close.
The 79-year-old German said they had had to respond in recent years to many heart-rending cases of sexual abuse of minors which were all the more tragic when the abuser was a cleric.
The wounds caused by such acts run deep, and it is an urgent task to rebuild confidence and trust where these have been damaged, he said.
In their continuing efforts to deal effectively with this problem, it was important to establish the truth of what happened, to take whatever steps were necessary to prevent it from occurring again, to ensure that the principles of justice are fully respected.
Above all he underlined the need to bring healing to the victims and to all those affected by these most awful crimes.
In this way, the Church in Ireland will grow stronger, the Pope predicted. He urged bishops to lead a society which is generous to immigrants in recognizing the inability of secular, materialist culture to bring true satisfaction and joy.
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