Irish Catholic bishops say they want to “humbly ask for forgiveness” after the shocking details of the cover-up of sex scandals involving priests was revealed.
All the bishops were meeting at their annual winter session in Maynooth and issued a statement afterward.
It said: “We are deeply shocked by the scale and depravity of abuse as described in the report. We are shamed by the extent to which child sexual abuse was covered up in the Archdiocese of Dublin and recognize that this indicates a culture that was widespread in the Church.
“The avoidance of scandal, the preservation of the reputations of individuals and of the Church, took precedence over the safety and welfare of children. This should never have happened and must never be allowed to happen again. We humbly ask for forgiveness.”
The report “raises very important issues for the Church in Ireland, including the functioning of the bishops’ conference and how the lay faithful can be more effectively involved in the life of the Church”.
The bishops say they will ask the Church’s National Board for Safeguarding Children to find “a mechanism by which to ensure that the Church’s current policies and practices in relation to the safeguarding of children represent best practice and that allegations of abuse are properly handled,” the statement read.
Today, Cardinal Seán Brady and the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, will go to Rome where they will meet Pope Benedict XVI and senior Vatican figures Friday.
Meanwhile, two bishops named in the Murphy Report, the Bishop of Galway, Martin Drennan, and Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin Éamonn Walsh, made comments on the report's findings.
Drennan told the Irish Times he was comfortable with the report as it “says nothing negative about me.”
Walsh said: “If I had done any wrong, I’d be gone. If on the other hand, the perception continued among the people that I was somebody who was complicit in all of this, then that would be a barrier in my ministry and I couldn’t even minister as a priest or a bishop if that were to continue.”
Walsh was an auxiliary bishop in the Dublin Archdiocese during the height of the scandal..
17 Comments
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.innishowen | Dec 15, 2009, 07:26 AM EST
Oh and of course there are genuine good people among the preists and nuns.One can almost (wrongly) feel at times that it's the sole perverted vocation of ministers of religion(child abuse)However it's an illness that knows know vocational or class boundaries. It's just seems / is a little worse when perpertrated by a vocation that teaches..preaches all the opposites.
innishowen | Dec 15, 2009, 07:21 AM EST
Obviously the clergy is the job to have if you want to touch up innocent children....Oh and when someones been uncovered and exposed..like pedophile priests etc etc...That's not an "admition"...That's being caught. When someone says they are sorry only after being exposed...it tends to have a lot less credibility.Especially after years of it. More like "Sorry" for getting caught.
jacersisityourself | Dec 13, 2009, 03:16 PM EST
I agree Kickstar...
kickstar | Dec 11, 2009, 02:48 PM EST
From today's Irish Independent "Benedict met senior Irish clergy on Friday in the wake of a report detailing the abuse. The report was issued last month after a government-ordered investigation into the Dublin Archdiocese. It found that the church shielded more than 100 child-abusing priests from the law". More than 100 Child Abusers running loose, Do you think it is even safe to send your children to Confession or to the Brigin Guides or Boy Scouts or any activity that may have one of these pervs about it.And with all that is at stake and in the middle of all the kerfuffle you have a Taoiseach agreeing with and AGAIN Deferring to them to sort the problems out All smiles and bows. When is the Government of Ireland ever going to learn Does article 44.2.2 of Bunreacht na hÉireann. "The state may not endow any religion". mean nothing, It is time to Enforce the Law and make sure it applies to all the people of the State.
jacersisityourself | Dec 11, 2009, 02:23 PM EST
Great truthful comment by 2B. I'd report both kickstar and Kathy for abuse if I were not a believer in press freedom. I prefer instead to let kickstar's, Kathy's and hate-filled others' comments portray publicly just how bad they are in themselves.
kickstar | Dec 11, 2009, 02:10 PM EST
Thanks 'KathyCallahan' Good post great songs.
kickstar | Dec 11, 2009, 02:08 PM EST
'2BorNot2B' If I ever run short of material to Spew..Hurl..or Slam on the CC I might take you up on that....Don't hold your breath.
Siobhan39 | Dec 11, 2009, 01:00 PM EST
People who get caught are always sorry. Weep, weep . . . but not for the church. Shame on them and the abusing priests and nuns.
2BorNot2B | Dec 11, 2009, 11:41 AM EST
It doesn't fail, does it? Any article on this website that gives these two rabid haters a chance to slam the CC, they are present, first in line, banging away, spewing..hurling..slamming.. As if their pathetic ranting would do anything more than put their anti-Catholic derangement syndrome in evidence. -- Say, kickstar and Callahan... how about showing all present a modicum of sanity by giving equal time to the the sordid history of other religious organizations which are even more egregious? How about taking your cues from sources other than slanted history and reporting? How about offering the same scrutiny and vitriol to those places where sexual abuse is actually more prevalent, like the home and public schools, which are run by the state? Other than... you can take your biased opinions and venting, and put them you know exactly where.
redspirit | Dec 11, 2009, 10:44 AM EST
Sorry, sorry, sorry, - how often do they say this and still think they are great and holy men and women. I can understand why so many are leaving the CC in Ireland.
kickstar | Dec 11, 2009, 03:58 AM EST
As long as people pay this gang of Liars and abusers lip service they will never go away, As long as they can exploit superstitions and habit they will be on the backs of the people. They were eating at the Landlords table during the Famine, They were feeding the British info during the terrible years of struggle early last century.When they were threatening anyone who were opposed to the British with Excommunication and all the while they were Abusing and beating poor and unfortunate boys and girls who they forced into Slavery in the Magdalene Laundries. They bled poor people white with their monthly stipend where once a month they would read out from the pulpit how much each family gave starting with the Rich and working their way down to the few coppers of a poor widow who they shamed into giving more than she could afford...These wonderful gentlemen who can now state that a Report says "nothing negative about me" When in fact your whole history says it,How many reports do you need before it shames you all enogh to resign and go away and give the people peace. Why have we seen no Bishop down on his knees apologizing to the children he has wronged or has he just checked the most recent report and discovered it said nothing Negative about him.The Arrogance goes on.
KathyCallahan | Dec 11, 2009, 12:44 AM EST
Lennon's Prescient words...I found the following John Lennon opinion in the form of a lyric. John Lennon sang about his opposition to the Catholic Church in Ireland, and expressed outright sympathy for the Irish people in His song Sunday Bloody Sunday, from Living in NYC collection, 1974. Repatriate to Britain All of you who call it home Leave Ireland to the Irish Not for London or for Rome! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IXX5gFBkfY
KathyCallahan | Dec 11, 2009, 12:40 AM EST
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IXX5gFBkfY
KathyCallahan | Dec 10, 2009, 11:39 PM EST
Prescient words...I found the following John Lennon opinion in the form of a lyric. John Lennon sang about his opposition to the Catholic Church in Ireland, and expressed outright sympathy for the Irish people in His song Sunday Bloody Sunday, from Living in NYC collection, 1974. Repatriate to Britain All of you who call it home Leave Ireland to the Irish Not for London or for Rome!
jacersisityourself | Dec 10, 2009, 08:07 PM EST
"It takes one to know another", so they say in Ireland. kickstar knows arrogance.
gypsyroverman | Dec 10, 2009, 03:38 PM EST
I believe the bishops treated this problem like a chess game. The just moved the pieces around but no one won. The bishops played the same game in Connecticut and they are in some mess.
kickstar | Dec 10, 2009, 09:19 AM EST
Drennan told the Irish Times he was comfortable with the report as it “says nothing negative about me.” It said plenty Negative about you all You Arrogant Idiot....