Pope Benedict XVI:
-says to the victims of abuse and their families: ‘You have suffered grievously and I am truly sorry’
-expresses deep dismay at ‘sinful and criminal acts and the way the Church authorities in Ireland dealt with them’
-calls on Church leaders in Ireland to continue to cooperate fully with the civil authorities
-says that only decisive action carried out with complete honesty and transparency will
restore the respect and good will of the Irish people towards the Church
www.catholicbishops.ie-concludes his Letter with a special ‘Prayer for the Church in Ireland’, which he composed himself
AndI now invite all of you to devote your Friday penances, for a period of one year, between now and Easter 2011, to this intention. I ask you to offer up your fasting, your prayer, your reading of Scripture and your works of mercy in order to obtain the grace of healing and renewal for the Church in Ireland. I encourage you to discover anew the Sacrament of Reconciliation and to avail yourselves more frequently of the transforming power of its grace.
AndFurthermore, having consulted and prayed about the matter, I intend to hold an Apostolic Visitation of certain dioceses in Ireland, as well as seminaries and religious congregations. Arrangements for the Visitation, which is intended to assist the local Church on her path of renewal, will be made in co-operation with the competent offices of the Roman Curia and the Irish Episcopal Conference. The details will be announced in due course.
Those are some very concrete measures. I know that there are many who will be satisfied with nothing other than the disbanding of the Church and the slow strangulation death of all Her ministers; for the rest of us, though, the above are very positive measures.I also propose that a nationwide Mission be held for all bishops, priests and religious. It is my hope that, by drawing on the expertise of experienced preachers and retreat-givers from Ireland and from elsewhere, and by exploring anew the conciliar documents, the liturgical rites of ordination and profession, and recent pontifical teaching, you will come to a more profound appreciation of your respective vocations, so as to rediscover the roots of your faith in Jesus Christ and to drink deeply from the springs of living water that he offers you through His Church.
While I agree with your last paragraph, your charge that celibacy caused this is 100% false!A very priestly letter, all gussied up in churchly incantations, oblique references, bland admonishments, calls to prayers and genuflections, but, in the end, not much in terms of substantive admissions or actual reforms.
The North American child sex abuse scandals, now the Irish, the German, this list grows as the unseemly by product of the 12th century legal proscription against marriage of priest now comes unravelled. Despite what twisted arguments the apologists try to level, bishops and priests in the early Christian Church were married and such is refernced in the Catholic bible as well as in the other versions.
Yes, we do live in an increasingly “secular” society and thank God for it. The ancient hold religion and mysticism once held has all but slipped away and a far more educated, rational people can look beyond the firghtening spector of offending a blessed priest and we can peek into his personal life and see the crimes he has committed.
That same priest, every priest who committs such cowardly crimes must be held to full account, and that includes any priest who in high office worked to hide, shuffle, delay and obfuscate the efforts of civil authorities to learn of and prosecute the offense.
Religion isn’t going away.A very priestly letter, all gussied up in churchly incantations, oblique references, bland admonishments, calls to prayers and genuflections, but, in the end, not much in terms of substantive admissions or actual reforms.
The North American child sex abuse scandals, now the Irish, the German, this list grows as the unseemly by product of the 12th century legal proscription against marriage of priest now comes unravelled. Despite what twisted arguments the apologists try to level, bishops and priests in the early Christian Church were married and such is refernced in the Catholic bible as well as in the other versions.
Yes, we do live in an increasingly “secular” society and thank God for it. The ancient hold religion and mysticism once held has all but slipped away and a far more educated, rational people can look beyond the firghtening spector of offending a blessed priest and we can peek into his personal life and see the crimes he has committed.
That same priest, every priest who committs such cowardly crimes must be held to full account, and that includes any priest who in high office worked to hide, shuffle, delay and obfuscate the efforts of civil authorities to learn of and prosecute the offense.
Thanks for posting this!The full text of the Pastoral Letter of His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, to the Catholics of Ireland is available HERE.
The website of the Catholic Bishops of Ireland gives the following short summary of the main points of the letter:
www.catholicbishops.ie
It may not be the whole cause, but a large part of it. Look at the Eastern Orthodox Churches, do they also have this problem. Yes, but not nearly to the degree the Western Church has. And if it does happen in the East , action is taken, not just words. I remember the case of Christ the Hills Monastery in Texas. They carted the Monks off to jail. And the Orthodox Church did not defend them one bit. Let them repent in a jail cell.While I agree with your last paragraph, your charge that celibacy caused this is 100% false!
I’ve never heard of a sex abuse case in the African Catholic Church, ever.It may not be the whole cause, but a large part of it. Look at the Eastern Orthodox Churches, do they also have this problem. Yes, but not nearly to the degree the Western Church has. And if it does happen in the East , action is taken, not just words. I remember the case of Christ the Hills Monastery in Texas. They carted the Monks off to jail. And the Orthodox Church did not defend them one bit. Let them repent in a jail cell.
religionnewsblog.com/15391
When I was in college years ago, the subject of abortion came up frequently in the campus newspaper. It was a public university. One letter writer referred to it as the ultimate child abuse. Yes, the Church has its problems and needs to clean up its act. But your high regard for “secular” society with it’s “educated, rational people” is misplaced. Civil authorities also need to stop protecting “cowardly crimes” like abortion. The rise in child abuse in western culture accompanies the lack of respect for human life and dignity fostered by these “secular”, “rational”, “educated” policies. Thanks alot.A very priestly letter, all gussied up in churchly incantations, oblique references, bland admonishments, calls to prayers and genuflections, but, in the end, not much in terms of substantive admissions or actual reforms.
The North American child sex abuse scandals, now the Irish, the German, this list grows as the unseemly by product of the 12th century legal proscription against marriage of priest now comes unravelled. Despite what twisted arguments the apologists try to level, bishops and priests in the early Christian Church were married and such is refernced in the Catholic bible as well as in the other versions.
Yes, we do live in an increasingly “secular” society and thank God for it. The ancient hold religion and mysticism once held has all but slipped away and a far more educated, rational people can look beyond the firghtening spector of offending a blessed priest and we can peek into his personal life and see the crimes he has committed.
That same priest, every priest who committs such cowardly crimes must be held to full account, and that includes any priest who in high office worked to hide, shuffle, delay and obfuscate the efforts of civil authorities to learn of and prosecute the offense.
Nonsense. Celibacy has nothing at all to do with this.It may not be the whole cause, but a large part of it. Look at the Eastern Orthodox Churches, do they also have this problem. Yes, but not nearly to the degree the Western Church has. And if it does happen in the East , action is taken, not just words. I remember the case of Christ the Hills Monastery in Texas. They carted the Monks off to jail. And the Orthodox Church did not defend them one bit. Let them repent in a jail cell.
religionnewsblog.com/15391
Clean house for starters.I’ve just heard some of the Irish victims on the news, they’re saying it’s not enough. What do they want the Priests, Pope etc. to do I wonder?
This is what Jesus meant when he told Peter to strengthen his brethren. He encourages by reminding the Irish of their (our) historic contribution to the faith. But he points to the betrayal and horrible damage done when he says these failings “have obscured the light of the Gospel to a degree that not even centuries of persecution succeeded in doing.”The full text of the Pastoral Letter of His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, to the Catholics of Ireland is available HERE.
Well, it’s not surprising that they feel it’s not enough, is it. They have suffered so much and for such a long time and their grief and anger is so profound that nothing will be ‘enough’ to assuage it. I think that is something we are going to have to accept with respectful compassion and understanding, as the Pope does:I’ve just heard some of the Irish victims on the news, they’re saying it’s not enough. What do they want the Priests, Pope etc. to do I wonder?
But we should not let their disappointment stop us from taking the Pope’s words to heart and reflecting on how best we can promote healing in our Church.You have suffered grievously and I am truly sorry. I know that nothing can undo the wrong you have endured. Your trust has been betrayed and your dignity has been violated. … It is understandable that you find it hard to forgive or be reconciled with the Church… In her name, I openly express the shame and remorse that we all feel’…
If seatbelts save lives, we should find that nobody wearing a seatbelt was ever killed in a car accident. Since people wearing seatbelts die in car accidents every day, the claim that seatbelts do a thing falls flat on its face.If celibacy is the cause of the sexual abuse, we should find that no married man ever commits sexual abuse. Since married men commit sexual abuse everday, the claim that celibacy is the cause falls flat on its face.
I think a big part of the problem lies in the selection and formation of priests. Evil people are evil people whether they are married or ‘celibate’. Perhaps the Eastern Church does a better job of weeding the wrong people out.It may not be the whole cause, but a large part of it. **Look at the Eastern Orthodox Churches, do they also have this problem. Yes, but not nearly to the degree the Western Church has. ** And if it does happen in the East , action is taken, not just words. I remember the case of Christ the Hills Monastery in Texas. They carted the Monks off to jail. And the Orthodox Church did not defend them one bit. Let them repent in a jail cell.
religionnewsblog.com/15391