VATICAN REPORTS ON IRISH CHILD ABUSE SCANDLES.

by WhiteKnight, UK, Wednesday, March 21, 2012, 08:00 @ WhiteKnight

Vatican reports on Irish child abuse scandals

The Vatican The report was published by the Vatican on Tuesday

Abuse survivors meet cardinal
85 priests were accused of abuse

The Vatican has expressed its "dismay and betrayal" at the "sinful and criminal acts" by Catholic clergy guilty of child abuse across Ireland.

In a report published on Tuesday, it called for a "new focus on the laity" within the Irish Catholic Church.

The scandals had "opened many wounds", it said, and lay people had "lost trust in their pastors".

The report acknowledged "innocent young people" were abused by clerics to whose care they had been entrusted.

It said that "those who should have exercised vigilance often failed to do so effectively".

'Tainted'

The report also said that good priests felt "unjustly tainted" and not defended by superiors.

"Bishops and superiors have often felt isolated as they sought to confront the wave of indignation and, at times, they have found it difficult to agree on a common line of action," the report said.

It recommended continued support for the victims and survivors of Catholic clerical abuse in Ireland.

The report also sought to bring the Irish Church back into line with the teachings of Rome.

“Start Quote
Cardinal Sean Brady

Innocent young people were abused by clerics and religious to whose care they had been entrusted, while those who should have exercised vigilance often failed to do so effectively”

"The Visitators also encountered a certain tendency, not dominant but nevertheless fairly widespread among priests, religious and laity, to hold theological opinions at variance with the teachings of the Magisterium, this serious situation requires particular attention," said the report.

Finally, it also called on the Irish Catholic community to "makes its voice heard" in the media.

It said that the community should establish "a proper relationship" with journalists with the aim of "making known the truth of the Gospel and the Church's life".

Speaking after the publication of the report, Primate of Ireland Sean Brady said it was a "helpful snapshot of a key moment on the ongoing journey of renewal".

He said Irish bishops wished to associate themselves with "the sense of pain and shame" expressed in the findings.

"Innocent young people were abused by clerics and religious to whose care they had been entrusted, while those who should have exercised vigilance often failed to do so effectively," he said.

Cardinal Brady called for a united Church. <SNIP>

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