BishopAccountability.org
	No Renewal If Hurt of Victims Is Ignored, Says Martin By Patsy McGarry and Lorna Siggins Irish Times February 22, 2010 http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0222/1224264939367.html IRELAND -- ANY TEMPTATION to think that renewal of the Catholic Church can be achieved "without recognising the hurt and damage that was done to innocent children and how that hurt was ignored" has to be rejected, the Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has said. "Lent this year is a moment in which the whole church in Dublin is called to do penance and seek reconciliation concerning how terrible facts of abuse of children were responded to," he said. It was "a time when we must all look at our responsibilities for the society and for the church which allowed such a situation to take shape", he said. He also appealed "to all those who feel disillusioned with the church but still feel attracted by the message of Jesus, to turn to the authentic source of that message, which is the Word of God and especially the gospels". The archbishop was speaking at a Rite of Election ceremony in Dublin's Pro-cathedral yesterday afternoon at which 44 people, including 41 non-Christians, presented themselves for admission to the Catholic Church. The ceremony takes place annually on the first Sunday of Lent. Bishop of Galway Martin Drennan has called for "perseverance and patience" in "getting beyond the present difficult space" within the church. "There is no quick fix", he said in a message read out at Masses in the diocese at the weekend. He was "hugely supported by the Holy Father and by my colleagues" during last week's visit by the Irish bishops to Rome, he said. He felt "strengthened to face the task ahead". The content of the Ryan and Murphy reports "was awful, but it did happen", he said. In a statement on the Kildare and Leighlin website at the weekend, Bishop Jim Moriarty said that at last week's meetings in Rome he "explained how my offer of resignation came about and spoke about the need for unity and a deeper sharing of the mission that transcends the kind of clerical culture that led us here ." He discussed his offer of resignation with Cardinal Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and its acceptance was "proceeding. It "should not go too far beyond Easter". He also advised that the Vatican press release last Tuesday "should not be viewed as the 'last word'. The pope's letter "is the document to focus on", he said. In his letter, read at all weekend Masses in the diocese, Bishop of Ferns Dennis Brennan said: "Since our return home on Tuesday last, we have witnessed, once again, the pain of deeply wounded survivors who feel great disappointment because the outcome of our meeting fell far short of their expectations." The visit to Rome was "only one part of an ongoing process, which has as its goal the healing and consoling of survivors of clerical sexual abuse". The promised letter from the pope was "an important milestone on a road, from which there is no going back". He said: "We are living through a time of great trial as a result of grave scandals and how they have been mishandled in our church community."
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