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Home Page > News > Pope describes clerical sex abuse as a ‘mystery’ in address to Irish Catholics

Pope describes clerical sex abuse as a ‘mystery’ in address to Irish Catholics

Speech marks closing of International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin

PATRICK COUNIHAN,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Monday, June 18, 2012, 7:12 AM

Updated Monday, June 18, 2012, 11:50 AM

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Pope Benedict XVI waves to the crowd

Photo by Google Images

Closing the Congress, its president and Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin said: “Over the past eight days the Eucharist has awakened in our hearts something which went way beyond our plans and expectations.

“It has been the nourishment of the extraordinary sense of our communion with one another which those of us who have been in the RDS and are here today have experienced. We have experienced the communion of the church.

“We must go away from here with a renewed passion for the Eucharist. We must go away with a renewed love of the church. We must go away from here wanting to tell others not just about the congress, but about Jesus Christ himself who, in giving himself in sacrifice, revealed to us that God is love.

“In our prayers in these days we have kept in our prayers and in our hearts all those who suffered criminal abuse within the community of Christ’s church and all those who feel in any way alienated from the church and who have not experienced in our church the love of Jesus Christ.”

Papal legate Cardinal Mark Ouellett in his homily said: “I thank wholeheartedly Archbishop Martin, Cardinal Brady and all the collaborators of this event for the gift of their warm hospitality and for the example of their strong dedication to Christian renewal in this country.

“The Irish Eucharistic bell, which resounds from Lough Derg, from Knock and Dublin, must resound in the whole world. Let’s ring the bell further through our personal testimony of renewed faith in the Holy Eucharist.”

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Mick10000 | Jul 06, 2012, 04:56 PM EDT

It's not a mystery Herr Pope. Look into your own theology, I did as a part of a graduate degree in religion. Thomas Aquinas, in his compendium "Summa Theologica", states that it is not a sin to have homosexual feelings, it is only a sin to act on them. Many confused, guilt ridden, catholic young men chose the priesthood as a response to this misguided notion. Sexuality is a natural state of humanity. Celibacy as a voluntary spiritual discipline has merit, but suppressing your sexuality out of guilt and fear results in the abuses that have been evident in the ranks of the clergy for hundreds of years. It is systemic within the corruption that endangers the very existence of the church. Remove the tumor, have a married clergy and get over your homophobia.

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ChillaKilla | Jun 26, 2012, 07:15 PM EDT

"When will the popes ever learn?" says eiriamach. They are probably waiting for 'inspiration' from another 'wise bird', and it ain't called The Holy Spirit but rather a tough, stringy bird: an old half-plucked chicken like eireamach who sees all, knows all, has an opinion on all that is Catholic.

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peterson | Jun 20, 2012, 06:24 PM EDT

It is not a mystery but poor leadership and the resulting coverups.

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eiriamach | Jun 20, 2012, 08:07 AM EDT

Benedict says about RCC in Ireland, "Thankfulness and joy at such a great history of faith and love have recently been shaken." "Shaken"??? He thinks that the Church can return to an age of original innocence if everyone conspires to label its sins "mystery" and move on. But the scandals represent a rupture in Church history, not a little patch of weeds that he can shake out at end of season. The same blindness afflicted him and PPaul VI about Second Vatican Council-- "continuity"? No, a "rupture" with history-- but they stuffed wax in their ears and sailed past, like Odysseus and his men. Was Vatican Council II the work of Satan or the workings of the Holy Spirit? On June 29, 1972, Pope Paul VI spoke of "a power, an adversary power. Let us call him by his name: the devil. It is as if from some mysterious crack, no, it is not mysterious, from some crack the smoke of Satan has entered the temple of God.” Fast forward to the USCCB's lay Review Board on sex abuse of minors' Feb. 2004 Report. Quoting PPaul, they wrote that the sins of predator priests and bishops who protected them allowed "the smoke of Satan" to enter the Church. PPaul used "Satan" to mystify the faithful about abandoning the Second Council; the lay panel did a turnabout and used the word "Satan" not to mystify, but to condemn, to wake up the bishops to the depths of the human evil that papal retreat from Couciliar reforms had brought about. When will the popes ever learn?

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Collette2 | Jun 20, 2012, 02:30 AM EDT

If he did really say this and it's not a "misquote" only to be retracted at a later date, it certainly is no mystery, it's a fact. and the cover-up insisted upon for decades and on his watch. The Vatican has far too many 'other mysteries" concerning it's self that needs to be openly dealt with as well.

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seanomelb | Jun 20, 2012, 02:07 AM EDT

Sure turzovka they buried the science they did not agree with in that labyrinth of books under the Vatican and imprisoned and burned at the stake those who dare to speak the truth.The shroud has never been proven to be that of Jesus who the hell is Christ.

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turzovka | Jun 19, 2012, 08:23 PM EDT

Oh, spare us your demagoguery. The Catholic Church has contributed as much to science as any of your beloved institutions. If it wasn't for the monasteries during the dark ages you would have lost most of your beloved science and arts manuscripts preserved from invading monguls by the Church. Most importantly, science is not at odds with Christianity. In fact every time you investigate all you do is add to the veracity of the reality of God. Thanks to science, the Shroud of Turin is irrefutably the burial cloth of Christ. Amen.

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seanomelb | Jun 19, 2012, 07:56 PM EDT

The belated support by the RCC only shows how they were afraid of science as in most cases they felt that science compromised their mythological beliefs.Even Descartes had to put the rider on his writings glorifying God to keep the inquisition from his doorstep.Calon_lan perpetuates the mythology of RCC popes and bishops as if they were God himself(whoever he is)

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eiriamach | Jun 19, 2012, 05:56 PM EDT

Quite a squabble! One of you says that my learning is proof that Satan has me in his power! Another says that the Vatican is a noble "defender" of learning, a pillar of knowledge, and would never persecute learned people or withhold knowledge from anyone! I trust you-all to figure out where the foregoing two claims, if we put them together and follow them to a conclusion, lead us to.

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Calon_Lan | Jun 19, 2012, 05:06 PM EDT

The Pontifical Academy of Sciences, under the instruction of Pope John Paul II, conducted an in depth study into the whole Galileo affair. Convened in 1979 it presented its findings in October 1992. Contrary to reports in the New York Times the Church was not suddenly acknowledging that the Earth moved around the Sun or even accepted that Galileo’s treatise was correct – as far as the Church was concerned that matter was dealt with in 1741 with the Imprimatur granted to the complete works of Galileo by Pope Benedict XIV. Pope John Paul II was acknowledging that science and theology needed to maintain their respective positions with a more tolerant approach being taken by practitioners of both. Sadly Galileo wasn’t around to offer his humble apology for the intransigence he displayed in trying to embarrass the Church to change scripture to suit his theories. In fact if Galileo had kept purely to astronomy there would have been no problem it is only when he tried to question scriptural passages in a scientific way that he came unstuck. The Bible is not a scientific treatise and in failing to realise this Galileo got a lot of people’s backs up unnecessarily.

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Calon_Lan | Jun 19, 2012, 04:56 PM EDT

Big Daddy you could also read "Inquisition" by Edward Peters - Professor of Medieval History at the University of Pennsylvania - he will debunk even more of your preconceptions regarding inquisitions. And one more thing please don't make your ignorance so manifest by describing the Holy Father as a "Hitler Youth". It's better that people think that you're stupid than open your mouth and show them!

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KweenOHearts | Jun 19, 2012, 04:51 PM EDT

Correction: @angrypaddy -- The post should read 'all of us chicks who generally wear pants and other male attire as everyday clothing. ---- @BlessedThistle -- The correct biblical reference should be Mt 28:16-20 " (19)Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."

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Calon_Lan | Jun 19, 2012, 04:45 PM EDT

Big Daddy, I'm glad that I can be of service to you in your old age. Perhaps you would like to read "Galileo Heretic" by Pietro Redoni or "The Galileo Affair" by Maurice Finocchiaro they both recount the way in which the Church supported not just Galileo but also Tyco Brahe and Copernikus and Kepler. And there was I thinking Truman had a decent education policy!!

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KweenOHearts | Jun 19, 2012, 04:23 PM EDT

@turzovka, re: your6/18 11:16 post --- Dontcha know that the eireamach has her physical and spiritual eyes totally covered by the demons of the NewAge deceit? One would think that with all those conveniently referenced, yet highly slanted posts [where she clearly glories in flaunting her educated-self to the peasants here], she might have caught a flash of who exactly it is that is guiding her queroulosness and pride.-- As 'the church lady' often repeated: "Could it be SATAN??" --- And while I'm at it: @ angrypaddy -- Now, do tell what would your opinion would be about women, like Hillary Clinton who wear pant suits; or about 95% of all of us who chicks generally wear pants and other male attire as everyday clothing? --- @BlessedThistle: Wow, you really sound "Blessed." But just a note of caution about your enthusiasm for either of the Orthodox churches you mention: If there is actual "faithfulness to the word of God there" why are they nothing more than ethnic churches, relegated to a handful of countries? Why are they churches without miracles, without prophecy, without charity or works of mercy, without the desire or power to do as Jesus commanded on Mt 16:18-20! How many missions, schools, hospices, charity organizations with the name of those churches you mention can you count around the world? Didn't Jesus say: 'You are a light to the world.. a house on a hill.. a lamp is not made to be hidden under a bushel basket..' Where is the light of these churches, eh?? That should give you a clue.

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hollabackgurl | Jun 19, 2012, 04:02 PM EDT

It's not a "mystery" at all. It's unbridled arrogance and power deciding it didn't have to answer to the little people.

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