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Complete text of Pope Benedict's letter to Irish Catholic Church

POPE BENEDICT XVI,

Published Saturday, March 20, 2010, 2:10 PM

Updated Saturday, March 20, 2010, 2:30 PM

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Speaking to you as a pastor concerned for the good of all God’s children, I humbly ask you to consider what I have said. I pray that, by drawing nearer to Christ and by participating in the life of his Church – a Church purified by penance and renewed in pastoral charity – you will come to rediscover Christ’s infinite love for each one of you. I am confident that in this way you will be able to find reconciliation, deep inner healing and peace.

7. To priests and religious who have abused children

You betrayed the trust that was placed in you by innocent young people and their parents, and you must answer for it before Almighty God and before properly constituted tribunals. You have forfeited the esteem of the people of Ireland and brought shame and dishonour upon your confreres. Those of you who are priests violated the sanctity of the sacrament of Holy Orders in which Christ makes himself present in us and in our actions. Together with the immense harm done to victims, great damage has been done to the Church and to the public perception of the priesthood and religious life.

I urge you to examine your conscience, take responsibility for the sins you have committed, and humbly express your sorrow. Sincere repentance opens the door to God’s forgiveness and the grace of true amendment. By offering prayers and penances for those you have wronged, you should seek to atone personally for your actions. Christ’s redeeming sacrifice has the power to forgive even the gravest of sins, and to bring forth good from even the most terrible evil. At the same time, God’s justice summons us to give an account of our actions and to conceal nothing. Openly acknowledge your guilt, submit yourselves to the demands of justice, but do not despair of God’s mercy.

8. To parents

You have been deeply shocked to learn of the terrible things that took place in what ought to be the safest and most secure environment of all. In today’s world it is not easy to build a home and to bring up children. They deserve to grow up in security, loved and cherished, with a strong sense of their identity and worth. They have a right to be educated in authentic moral values rooted in the dignity of the human person, to be inspired by the truth of our Catholic faith and to learn ways of behaving and acting that lead to healthy self-esteem and lasting happiness. This noble but demanding task is entrusted in the first place to you, their parents. I urge you to play your part in ensuring the best possible care of children, both at home and in society as a whole, while the Church, for her part, continues to implement the measures adopted in recent years to protect young people in parish and school environments. As you carry out your vital responsibilities, be assured that I remain close to you and I offer you the support of my prayers.

9. To the children and young people of Ireland

I wish to offer you a particular word of encouragement. Your experience of the Church is very different from that of your parents and grandparents. The world has changed greatly since they were your age. Yet all people, in every generation, are called to travel the same path through life, whatever their circumstances may be. We are all scandalized by the sins and failures of some of the Church's members, particularly those who were chosen especially to guide and serve young people. But it is in the Church that you will find Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday, today and for ever (cf. Heb 13:8). He loves you and he has offered himself on the cross for you. Seek a personal relationship with him within the communion of his Church, for he will never betray your trust! He alone can satisfy your deepest longings and give your lives their fullest meaning by directing them to the service of others. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and his goodness, and shelter the flame of faith in your heart. Together with your fellow Catholics in Ireland, I look to you to be faithful disciples of our Lord and to bring your much-needed enthusiasm and idealism to the rebuilding and renewal of our beloved Church.

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Irishjule | Oct 21, 2010, 03:06 PM EDT

I think it was abominable for priests to abuse children/young adults and for the hierarchy to cover it up. I am in no way excusing them, but when the scandal broke out, my first thought was that the Church wanted to keep it secret because of all the unjust criticism that we get as Catholics.

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justhimself | Sep 22, 2010, 10:55 PM EDT

The cover up, when it was obvious the same complaints followed the abuser, some of those abusers actually were promoted to bishop level, and God only knows if pedophiles made it higher up. WE NEED A NEW REFORMED IRISH CATHOLIC CHURCH, WITH A NEW SET OF REVISED CANON LAWS.

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McNamara31 | Mar 22, 2010, 05:37 PM EDT

Allan500 Talk about blind faith...Before you make another response you should read the court testimony of how the church obstructed justice in Boston, and in Ireland. Yes the church was complicit with these crimes; they knowingly moved predator priests from town to town and from country to country. Do you know, that Pope Benedict as Prefect of the Doctrine of the faith oversaw all abuse cases and told the bishops these matters must be handled in secrecy? Why didn't he notify them loud and clear, to turn the abusing priests over to the authorities? Also, look up the testimony of Fr. Doyle, Canon lawyer who first was sent by the Vatican to investigate the abuse situation in America over 25 years and 2.5 billion dollars ago. You really sound like you are blaming the victim here. What if it were your son?

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allan500 | Mar 22, 2010, 01:01 PM EDT

McNamara31, The Church "supported" criminal activity? That is absurd. Individuals made mistakes in dealing with other individual's sins. The Vatican had nothing to do with abusing children. The Church as a body did not abuse children. There are individuals who attempted to keep the mess from tainting the Church. It was there duty and right to do so. They understood that the Church as a body was not the culprit, but the individual who acted wrongly. It is not as black and white as you think. When a person is accused of a crime, he is merely accused of a crime. There is a process that must be gone through to determine if the accusation is true. One can suspect that if the moral climate of Ireland had not been in such disarray, the Commandments would have been more closely followed by Church members--including its priests and nuns. There is a certain silliness in calling this "child abuse" as many if not most were well past the age of reason. I know very well that when I was 12 years old and had an anointed member of Christ's Church attempted to touch me improperly, I would have asked him what the hell he was doing. Why did that red alert not sound in the mind of these young people? The stock answer that they were bewildered by a figure of authority and lost all judgement is too ridiculous to contemplate. Perhaps a diet of pornography and the sight of immoral living around them had sullied their moral compass. Further, the current state of discussion does not even allow the question to be posed, are some of these "victims" merely money-hungry frauds? People ought to be grateful that the flaws of Church members have been exposed so that alterations can be made. The proper response of Catholics is to help the renovation, not lament the past with stupid demands that the pope's apology include this or that, and it be stated in a certain way of not. It is beyond the scope of reality to include every nuance of every circumstance in a public statement.

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McNamara31 | Mar 22, 2010, 11:24 AM EDT

They can write a million words and none will rings true without accountability. For those politically minded Vatican officials and clergy who decided and sided with the lawyers and against the children, this letter fails to address them, and the heart of this global atrocity.

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McNamara31 | Mar 22, 2010, 10:51 AM EDT

??? "In recent decades, however, the Church in your country has had to confront new and serious challenges to the faith arising from the rapid transformation and secularization of Irish society. Fast-paced social change has occurred, often adversely affecting people’s traditional adherence to Catholic teaching and values" What in the world does this have to do with the criminal activity that the church and Vatican supported for the past twenty five years? Child abusers are in all walks of life. The "grave" sin here is the Vatican enabled them.

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allan500 | Mar 22, 2010, 10:37 AM EDT

The pope is a man of God, and as such, he wrote a realistic letter based on the principles of sound moral doctrine. I see from your poll that most think he did what was needed, but still some are disappointed. The pope does not owe, nor could he give more than he gave in his letter. The pope's point about the collapse of Irish Catholicism ought to be carefully pondered. There is an old saying of the saints that priests are only as good as their flock. Each Catholic has an obligation to pray for the Church and its ministers. That has not taken place. Rather, while the Church offered moral direction the flock mocked it by its actions with the liberalization of abortion, widespread use of pornography, flippant divorce laws, and abysmal mass attendance. We now find the Irish more likely to be irreligious bigots than devote Catholics. Many, as can be read here, are more concerned with protecting their favorite sins than protecting the Church built upon the Rock of Christ. Need I say, hypocrites? The pope did not molest your children. It was those among you, who share your mired moral habits and who are a product of your cesspool standards, who did it. Purify your society and you will see holy priests emerge from your ranks. Pray for the pope. He has a daunting task at hand. Change the moral environment of your hearts, of your cities, towns and villages--then you will change those in the Church, who come from those same cities, towns and villages, who have gone astray.

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kickstar | Mar 21, 2010, 09:32 PM EDT

Return To Sender.

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Godscre | Mar 20, 2010, 06:51 PM EDT

Visit Voice of the Faithful's website and you will learn a lot.

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LeClara | Mar 20, 2010, 05:39 PM EDT

I think it is criminal for the Catholic church make it mandatory for priest and nuns to abstain from sexual intercourse and forbid marriage. I was under the impression that God promoted marriage so men and women wouldn't have to suffer physically. I am a victim/survivor of sexual molestation of a priest but after reaching adulthood I was able to forgive him because he was a man who had urges as any man does. I blame the church and their rules. I think this will continue to happen until the Catholic church changes it's rules regarding marriage of priest and nuns.

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Godscre | Mar 20, 2010, 04:49 PM EDT

Sorry, please check out Romans 13:1-7 also. Peace to all.

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Godscre | Mar 20, 2010, 04:46 PM EDT

The leaders (Pope and Bishops)should lead by example and do the right thing and turn themselves in to the civil authorities. (Romans 8) No more cover up and no more blaming each other, no more saying that others have done it. Take responsibility. Someday God will hold all accountable for every creature - human and animal (Hebrews 4:13). Very simple.

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