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  Paedophilia 'A Grave Sin That Offends God', Says Pontiff

Irish Times
February 16, 2010

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0216/breaking19.html

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict told Ireland's Catholic Bishops during two days of crisis talks over a paedophilia scandal that sexual abuse of children by priests was a "heinous crime" that they must address with resolve, the Vatican said today.

The pope "observed that the sexual abuse of children and young people is not only a heinous crime, but also a grave sin which offends God and wounds the dignity of the human person created in his image," the statement said.

"While realising that the current painful situation will not be resolved quickly, he challenged the bishops to address the problems of the past with determination and resolve, and to face the present crisis with honesty and courage," it said.

Pope Benedict meeting Bishop James Moriarty at the Vatican yesterday where the Irish bishops gathered in light of Murphy and Ryan reports.
Photo by Osservatore Romano

For their part, the bishops told the pope that they are committed to co-operating with civil authorities on paedophilia scandal, the Vatican added.

A statement from the Vatican said all present at today's meeting "recognised that this grave crisis has led to a breakdown in trust in the Church's leadership and has damaged her witness to the Gospel and its moral teaching".

The statement said the Irish bishops "spoke frankly of the sense of pain and anger, betrayal, scandal and shame expressed to them on numerous occasions by those who had been abused. There was a similar sense of outrage reflected by laity, priests and religious in this regard.

"The bishops . . . stressed that, while there is no doubt that errors of judgement and omissions stand at the heart of the crisis, significant measures have now been taken to ensure the safety of children and young people."

The pope "observed that the sexual abuse of children and young people is not only a heinous crime, but also a grave sin which offends God and wounds the dignity of the human person created in his image".

"While realising that the current painful situation will not be resolved quickly, he challenged the bishops to address the problems of the past with determination and resolve, and to face the present crisis with honesty and courage," the Vatican said.

The pope also expressed the hope the meeting would enable the bishops "to speak with one voice in identifying concrete steps aimed at bringing healing to those who had been abused, encouraging a renewal of faith in Christ and restoring the Church's spiritual and moral credibility".

The pontiff also noted "the more general crisis of faith affecting the Church," the statement said, adding Pope Benedict "also pointed to the more general crisis of faith affecting the Church and he linked that to the lack of respect for the human person and how the weakening of faith has been a significant contributing factor in the phenomenon of the sexual abuse of minors".

The Vatican statement added the pontiff called for "a deeper theological reflection" on the issue, "and called for improved preparation for candidates for the priesthood and religious life and of those already ordained.

The historic two-day meeting between the pope, his senior Curia officials and the bishops at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican concluded shortly after 12pm today.

It was indicated yesterday that Pope Benedict's promised pastoral letter to the Irish faithful, originally scheduled to be published before Lent but delayed because of this visit to Rome by the Irish bishops, may be released sooner than expected.

The meeting with the pope was preceded by a Mass in St Peter's Basilica, celebrated by Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. In his homily Cardinal Bertone said that only "an authentic and sincere humility" could lead to a "true renewal" of the Irish Church.

Speaking directly to the Irish bishops, he said: "Trials for the church can come from within and from without. Both are painful but the ones that come from within are obviously harder to take and more humiliating. Such is the huge trial that your communities are currently undergoing, trials which see some men of the church involved in particularly execrable acts."

Calling on God to offer the bishops "humility of heart", he said: "Only if we arrive at an authentic and sincere humility can the grace of God truly work deeply for us and thus realise a true renewal."

He warned against the temptation to discouragement and despair touching the hearts of believers, shaking their faith and threatening their ability to trust God. For this reason, he concluded, the bishops must accept God's will with a "good and faithful heart in order to receive the full force of renewal".

The Mass was concelebrated with the Irish bishops by the Vatican's most powerful figures, including Cardinal William Levada, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Cardinal Claudio Hummes, Cardinal Franc Rode and Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski. Afterwards the bishops were taken to the Apostolic Palace where each was introduced to Pope Benedict separately before proceedings began. The first Irish speaker was Cardinal Seán Brady.

In Rome this afternoon Cardinal Brady will host a press conference at which he is expected to outline what has taken place in discussions at the Apostolic Palace over the past two days.

Meanwhile, it emerged last night that the papal nuncio to Ireland, Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza, has declined an invitation to appear before the joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs.

In a letter to its chairman, Dr Michael Woods, he said it was "not the practice of the Holy See that Apostolic Nuncios appear before Parliamentary Commissions". Fine Gael TD Alan Shatter, a member of the committee, described the nuncio's decision as "not only regrettable but incomprehensible".

Earlier this month, proposing that Archbishop Leanza be invited before the committee, Mr Shatter noted the nunciature's failure, and that of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to respond to the Murphy commission's inquiries.

He said the nuncio should be asked "that the assistance the Murphy commission sought, be now provided to it", if he agreed to attend.

 
 

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