By Kilian Doyle
Irish Times
March 21, 2010
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0321/breaking4.html
[full text of the papal letter]
IRELAND -- Pope Benedict's pastoral letter to Irish Catholics, in which he apologises to victims of clerical child sex abuse, was read to Massgoers across Ireland today.
In the letter, published in Rome yesterday, the pope announced a formal Vatican investigation of Irish dioceses, seminaries and religious orders affected by the scandal.
However, the letter - addressed to victims, parents, bishops, priests and all members of the Irish Catholic faithful - does not expressly call for the resignation of Primate of All-Ireland Cardinal Seán Brady or other church leaders, as demanded by victims.
 |
| Archbishop Diarmuid Martin delivers the pope?s pastoral letter in the Pro Cathedral in Dublin last night. Photo by Aidan Crawley |
The pope's message comes as Dr Brady faces continued calls to step down over his handling of abuse claims which saw victims of serial abuser Father Brendan Smyth forced to sign confidentiality agreements.
In his message, which was also read out at Masses last night, the pope said he was "deeply disturbed" by the scandal and said he was willing to meet victims to acknowledge their suffering personally.
"Your trust has been betrayed and your dignity has been violated," he told victims. "I am truly sorry. I know that nothing can undo the wrong you have endured."
Addressing victims, the pope said he felt "shame and remorse" over what they had endured and praised their courage in speaking out about their abuse. He also acknowledged that many of them "find it difficult even to enter the doors of a church after all that has occurred.
"Those of you who were abused in residential institutions must have felt that there was no escape from your sufferings," he said. "It is understandable that you find it hard to forgive or be reconciled with the church."
In his letter, the 82-year-old pope said those responsible for abuse must be punished. "You betrayed the trust that was placed in you by innocent young people and their parents, and you must answer for it before Almighty God and before properly constituted tribunals. I urge you to examine your conscience, take responsibility for the sins you have committed, and humbly express your sorrow," he said. "Openly acknowledge your guilt, submit yourselves to the demands of justice, but do not despair of God's mercy."
He said "grave errors" of leadership were committed by Catholic authorities in Ireland after evidence of abuse by priests emerged. "I can only share in the dismay and the sense of betrayal that so many of you have experienced on learning of these sinful and criminal acts and the way Church authorities in Ireland dealt with them," he said, addressing the faithful.
Speaking to Irish bishops, the pope said: "It cannot be denied that some of you and your predecessors failed, at times grievously, to apply the long-established norms of canon law to the crime of child abuse. Serious mistakes were made in responding to allegations.
"I recognise how difficult it was to grasp the extent and complexity of the problem, to obtain reliable information and to make the right decisions in the light of conflicting expert advice. Nevertheless, it must be admitted that grave errors of judgment were made and failures of leadership occurred. All this has seriously undermined your credibility and effectiveness."
He called on church leaders in Ireland to continue to cooperate fully with the civil authorities and said only "decisive action carried out with complete honesty and transparency will restore the respect and goodwill of the Irish people" towards the church.
"The church in Ireland must first acknowledge before the Lord and before others the serious sins committed against defenceless children. Such an acknowledgement, accompanied by sincere sorrow for the damage caused to these victims and their families, must lead to a concerted effort to ensure the protection of children from similar crimes in the future."
The pope announced an "apostolic visitation" of "certain" dioceses, seminaries and religious orders in Ireland. This is an inquiry in which inspectors meet bishops, seminary or convent directors and local church officials to review the way matters were handled in the past, to suggest changes and decide possible disciplinary action. The pope said details of the investigation would be announced "in due course".
In an address to parishioners following Mass in St Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh yesterday morning, Cardinal Seán Brady said he was "deeply grateful to the Holy Father for his profound kindness and concern".
He said it was evident from the pastoral letter that the pope is "deeply dismayed" by the "sinful and criminal acts" and the way the Church authorities in Ireland dealt with them. "He says the Church in Ireland must acknowledge before the Lord and others the serious sins committed against defenceless children," Dr Brady said.
The cardinal urged people to read the letter with an open heart and in a spirit of faith. "No one imagines that the present painful situation will be resolved quickly," he said. "Yet with perseverance, prayer and working together in unity, the Holy Father says we can be confident that the Church in Ireland will experience a season of rebirth and spiritual renewal."
Dr Brady was applauded by the congregation after his address.
Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin last night welcomed the pastoral letter as a further step in the Church's renewal and healing process.
"It deals with a dramatically painful chapter in the lives of the many who were abused," he told the congregation at the Pro Cathedral in Dublin city centre "The church tragically failed many of its children: it failed through abuse, it failed through not preventing abuse, it failed through covering up abuse."
The letter follows the publication last year of the damning Ryan and Murphy reports which revealed the extent of the abuse suffered by children in State or church care.
In May, the Ryan report revealed the Catholic Church and the Government covered up almost four decades of sexual and physical abuse by priests and nuns on thousands of children in care.
The Murphy report, released in November, concluded that the Catholic church in Ireland had "obsessively" concealed child abuse in the Dublin archdiocese, and operated a policy of "don't ask, don't tell".
Four Irish bishops offered their resignation in the wake of the Murphy report. So far, the pope has accepted only one resignation.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.