IRELAND
Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference
[the report]
Background
On 19 March 2010, following a meeting in the Vatican with the bishops of Ireland, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI issued a Pastoral Letter to the Catholics in Ireland. The Pastoral Letter expressed his deep sorrow and regret regarding abuse perpetrated by priests and religious on victims “You have suffered grievously and I am truly sorry” and addressed how such cases had been responded to in the past. The Pastoral Letter also announced a number of “concrete initiatives” including an Apostolic Visitation of certain dioceses in Ireland, as well as seminaries and religious congregations. The Apostolic Visitation was “intended to assist the local Church in her path of renewal.”
A press conference was held today in the Columba Centre, Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, to mark the publication of the Summary of the Findings of the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland. In attendance at the press conference were Cardinal Seán Brady, Primate of All Ireland and President of the Irish Bishops’ Conference; Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Primate of Ireland and Vice-President of the Irish Bishops’ Conference; the Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland, His Excellency Archbishop Charles Brown; and, the Director General of the Conference of Religious of Ireland, Sister Marianne O’Connor. Please see below Cardinal Brady’s opening statement at the press conference:
Comments by Cardinal Brady:
On behalf of the Catholic community in Ireland I welcome the publication of the findings of the recent Apostolic Visitation. This visitation arose from the concrete initiatives proposed by His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI in his Pastoral Letter to the Catholics of Ireland of March 2010. We thank Pope Benedict, and those who collaborated in carrying out the Visitation of the four archdioceses, the religious congregations and seminaries. We acknowledge with gratitude all those who contributed to this important and historic initiative by meeting the visitors and making submissions to them. Special priority was given to meetings with survivors of abuse who were assured of the particular closeness of the Holy Father to them in this process. The Visitators also met with a broad representation of the Catholic faithful.
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