VATICAN CITY
Rappler
by Agence France-Presse
Posted on 06/18/2012
VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI admitted Sunday, June 17, that cases of child abuse by pedophile priests had undermined the Roman Catholic Church’s credibility in Ireland.
“They abused people and undermined the credibility of the Church’s message,” he said in a message on the final day of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress held in Dublin.
“Thankfulness and joy at such a great history of faith and love have recently been shaken in an appalling way by the revelation of sins committed by priests and consecrated persons against people entrusted to their care,” the pope added.
“How are we to explain the fact that people who regularly received the Lord’s body and confessed their sins in the sacrament of penance have offended in this way?”
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