IRELAND
Irish Examiner
October 15, 2016
By Claire O’Sullivan
Irish Examiner Reporter
The unprecedented move by the Catholic Church in this country is a response to a request by Pope Francis to bishops worldwide.
Abuse survivor, Marie Collins, who also sits on the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Vatican, said the day “will make a difference to some victims as a gesture of acknowledgement of their hurt, and less so to others”.
Ms Collins said the day of prayer was the brainchild of a Canadian abuse survivor who asked her local church to include a prayer for survivors in its liturgy. The local priest refused. She then made a similar suggestion to the Commission for the Protection of Minors and Pope Francis liked the idea.
Last month, a new era of accountability began when it was decided by the Pope that the congregation of bishops and congregations of religious leaders in Rome will be able to discipline “deficient” bishops who have failed in safeguarding children. Up to now, such inquiries were carried out by the highly-secretive Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith.
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