By Philip Pullella
Reuters
February 16, 2010
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE61F2ZM20100216
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VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict and Irish bishops ended crisis talks over a paedophilia scandal on Tuesday but victims' groups expressed fears of a whitewash where those who facilitated child abuse by priests will not face justice.
A Vatican statement issued at the end of the pope's meetings with 24 Irish bishops called sexual abuse of children by priests a "heinous crime" and said the bishops had promised the pope they are committed to cooperating with civil authorities in investigations of the scandal.
But victims groups expressed deep dismay, saying the meeting did not conclude who should pay for a policy of cover up and failed to mention any Vatican responsibility for looking the other way for decades.
"It is very disappointing. The Vatican has accepted no responsibility for its role in facilitating the sexual abuse of children," said Meave Lewis, executive director of victim-support group One in Four.
"In fact it is quite insulting to victims to imply that they were abused because of failings of faith rather than the fact that sex-offending priests were moved from parish to parish and those in authority looked away," she told Reuters.
Benedict, the Irish bishops and top Vatican officials met in response to outrage in Ireland over the Murphy Commission Report, a damning indictment of child sex abuse by priests.
The report, published in November, said the church in Ireland had "obsessively" concealed child abuse in the Dublin archdiocese from 1975 to 2004, and operated a policy of "don't ask, don't tell."
At the meetings the pope challenged the bishops "to address the problems of the past with determination and resolve, and to face the present crisis with honesty and courage."
But victims' groups' hopes for concrete action were dashed.
"I am dismayed, hugely, profoundly upset and disappointed," said Christine Buckley, a victim of abuse and founder of the Aislinn support centre, told Ireland's Newstalk radio.
The Murphy report said all Dublin bishops in charge during the period under study had been aware of some complaints, but the archdiocese had been more preoccupied with protecting the reputation of the church than safeguarding children.
Four bishops have offered their resignations and the pope has so far accepted one. Victims' group One in Four called on other bishops throughout Ireland who had engaged in a "culture of cover-up" to step down.
At a news conference, five of the bishops were bombarded with questions about why the Vatican did not accept its own institutional responsibility. Cardinal Sean Brady said the Irish bishops "do not feel like scapegoats" and the "the Vatican wants to help bring about spiritual renewal in Ireland."
But while the Vatican statement said the meetings "examined the failure of Irish church authorities for many years to act effectively" in cases of sexual abuse, victims were dismayed.
"I'm normally an optimist and for some unknown reason I really thought that the Pope was going to say 'let's start with Ireland. I will go to Ireland. I will meet with the victims of institutional and clerical abuse. I will unveil a memorial. I will start a first world conference for victims of institutional and sexual abuse'," said Buckley.
"Instead he has washed his hands of it, he thinks it's okay and that a Lenten pastoral letter is going to help our pain. No, it is not," she said.
The pope will send a letter to the Irish people, the first ever papal document devoted exclusively to paedophilia, probably next month. The bishops said it would centre on victims.
The Murphy report said the church's prominent role in Irish life was one of the reasons abuses went unchecked.
One priest admitted abusing more than 100 children. Another said he had abused children every two weeks for over 25 years.
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