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  Bishop Admits Church Has Been Seriously Wounded

Fermanagh Herald
February 17, 2010

http://www.nwipp-newspapers.com/FH/free/299680074672979.php

IRELAND -- Dr Joseph Duffy, Bishop of Clogher, headed the delegation of 24 Irish bishops who met the Pope in Rome yesterday, Tuesday.

The Irish Bishops made the journey to the Vatican to discuss the serious situation which has emerged in the Catholic Church in Ireland in the wake of two damning reports into clerical child abuse.

Following the meeting the Vatican press office issued a statement saying there was no doubt that errors of judgement and omissions stood at the heart of the crisis.

"The Holy Father 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."

Speaking before setting out for Rome, the Bishop of Clogher, Dr Joseph Duffy said the visit by the 24 Irish bishops was a very serious one.

"It's not just a cosmetic exercise. We have all come here separately and made space for it because of the seriousness of it."

He went on: "I would admit quite frankly, and everybody else knows it and is shouting it from the roof tops, that the Church has been seriously wounded. We are in a very serious situation. This has done serious damage to the Church as the mouthpiece of the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

As Chairman of the Communications Commission of the Bishops' Conference, Bishop Duffy had a seat at the top table with His Holiness for the three sessions during which each of the 24 bishops was given seven minutes to address His Holiness.

It is not known what each said. However, Bishop Duffy, speaking beforehand, felt that each would speak out of his own experience, 'how he has found things and where he feels things can be improved'.

"And, certainly there's room for improvement everywhere. We all admit that."

The Vatican Press Office, in a statement, confirmed that each of the Irish Bishops offered his own observations and suggestions.

"They 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.

"His Holiness challenged the Bishops to address the problems of the past with determination and resolve, and to face the present crisis with honesty and courage. He expressed the hope that 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."

The statement revealed that the Bishops had an opportunity to examine and discuss a draft of The Pope's Pastoral Letter to the Catholics of Ireland which would be issued during Lent.

There were suggestions that survivors of clerical sex abuse should have been represented in the delegation of Irish bishops.

However, one survivor, Tom Hayes said he and others had met the bishops before their departure for Rome and were due to meet them on their return.

There was talk of tension between some of the bishops and senior Irish churchmen in the manner that the Murphy Report had been handled, with three of the four bishops named in the Report resigning under pressure.

However, Bishop Duffy said those matters had been thrashed out at a meeting in Knock and he described relations between the bishops as 'very cordial'.

 
 

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