Pope is outraged by abuse report
By Anna Arco

18 December 2009

Pope Benedict XVI shares "the outrage, betrayal and shame" felt by Irish Catholics over cases of clerical sexual abuse and the way abuse claims were handled by Church leaders, and he plans to write a pastoral letter to the Catholics of Ireland, the Vatican has said.

The letter "will clearly indicate the initiatives that are to be taken in response to the situation", said a statement released after the Pope had spent 90 minutes meeting Cardinal Sean Brady of Armagh, president of the Irish bishops' conference, and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin.

Cardinal Brady said the Pope's letter, which is expected early in January, will outline several initiatives, including public services of repentance for Irish bishops and priests.

"I asked him, in my opening remarks, to teach us, to help us be better shepherds of the people, to lead us on the way of repentance and so, therefore, there will be suggestions about celebrations of lament and repentance involving, first of all, us bishops and priests," the cardinal told reporters.

Calling a papal pastoral letter to one nation's Catholics "quite a significant document", Archbishop Martin said it would be the beginning of a whole process aimed at "a very significant reorganisation of the Church in Ireland".

"The climate in the Church" which allowed abusers to go unpunished will only change once there is a renewal, a willingness to publicly accept responsibility for one's actions and greater involvement by lay people in all areas of Church life, the archbishop said.

Fr Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said the statement summarising the meeting was approved by Pope Benedict and "obviously reflects his style and tone" in discussing revelations about clerical sex abuse.

Pope Benedict, the statement said, "was deeply disturbed and distressed" by the contents of a report by an independent Commission of Investigation, headed by Judge Yvonne Murphy, which looked at the handling of some 325 abuse claims in the Archdiocese of Dublin in the years from 1975 to 2004.

The report concluded that during those years, rather than being concerned about the victims, Catholic leaders were more interested in "the maintenance of secrecy, the avoidance of scandal, the protection of the reputation of the Church and the preservation of its assets".

Archbishop Martin said it was obvious during the meeting that the Pope was deeply ashamed by the report's depiction of clerical sexual abuse of children and the lack of action on the part of Church leaders.

"I think anybody who has read that report, no matter how much they knew about the problems in the Church in Dublin, in Ireland or anywhere in the world, anybody with any sense of decency would be ashamed. And he [the Pope] said it himself," he said.

Describing acts of clerical sexual abuse as "heinous crimes" Pope Benedict asked Catholics to join him in praying for the victims.

The Pope wanted "once more to express his profound regret at the actions of some members of the clergy who have betrayed their solemn promises to God, as well as the trust placed in them by the victims and their families, and by society at large", the statement said. "The Holy Father shares the outrage, betrayal and shame felt by so many of the faithful in Ireland, and he is united with them in prayer at this difficult time in the life of the Church," it added.

The Vatican "takes very seriously the central issues" raised by the so-called Murphy Report, including the report's "questions concerning the governance of local Church leaders with ultimate responsibility for the pastoral care of children", the statement said.

Fr Lombardi said Pope Benedict "does not want this swept under the carpet", but wants the Church to deal with the problem and, in the letter he will write, will indicate ways that could be done. The Jesuit said the Pope's letter would not be "just a letter of consolation or regret", but would try to help the Church in Ireland move forward while ensuring that such a betrayal of its mission would never occur again.

The statement said Pope Benedict will ensure the Church aimed "to understand better how these shameful events came to pass and how best to develop effective and secure strategies to prevent any recurrence".

Fr Lombardi declined to discuss the possible resignation of any Irish bishop, saying that this did not feature in any part of the meeting with the Pope.