ROME, MARCH 23, 2010 (
Zenit.org).- Whether in favor, opposed or divided, the world’s media received Benedict XVI’s letter to Ireland’s Catholics as an “unprecedented” document, not only for being the first dedicated by a Pope to the issue, but also because of the grief with which it is written.
Interest in the statement has gone far beyond the coasts of Ireland, as witnessed by the fact that minutes after its publication in the Vatican at midday on March 20, it could already be read on the Web sites of newspapers such as Suddeutsche Zeitung, the New York Times, Le Monde, the Telegraph, El Mundo, Le Figaro, El Universal, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post and El Pais.
The first headlines concentrated on the request for forgiveness, in the name of the Church, which the Pope addressed to the victims of abuse committed by clerics: “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.”
