IRELAND/VATICAN CITY
The Irish Times
STEVEN CARROLL
Pope Benedict XVI has said it “remains a mystery” that people who regularly “received the Lord’s body and confessed their sins” had committed the offence of child abuse.
In a pre-recorded address to the closing ceremony of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress, which came to an end at Croke Park in Dublin today, the pope said the Church had “been shaken in an appalling way by the revelation of sins committed by priests and consecrated persons against people entrusted to their care”.
“Instead of showing them the path towards Christ, towards God, instead of bearing witness to his goodness, they abused people and undermined the credibility of the Church’s message,” he said.
The pope said “much still remains to be done on the path of real liturgical renewal”.
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