Pope sends 'pastoral letter' to Ireland amid protests from Irish Church abuse victims

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Pope Benedict XVI

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IrishCentral.com Poll

What do you think about Pope Benedict's letter to the Irish Church?

It was a sincere apology that will help heal the Church

It was a sincere apology, but he side-stepped what concrete action the Church will take

It was just more of the same religious jargon, and doesn't change a thing

It was a letter from a morally corrupt man as guilty as the pedophile priests

Brady has admitted that, in retrospect, his handling of the case reflected poor judgment and a lack of understanding of the problem. Brady says he should have alerted police about the priest, who was eventually convicted of sexually abusing 20 children over a 40-year period.

Speaking in English to Irish pilgrims in St Peter's Square, the 82-year-old Pontiff said he hoped his letter would "help in the process of repentance, healing and renewal."

"As you know," he told them, "in recent months, the Church in Ireland has been severely shaken by the crisis of child abuse. As a token of my deep concern, I have written a pastoral letter to address this painful situation. I will sign it on the Solemnity of St. Joseph, guardian of the Holy Family and patron of the universal Church, and send it immediately. I ask that you read it yourselves, with an open heart and in a spirit of faith."   

Irish bishops were summoned to the Vatican in February to discuss the crisis caused by the child abuse revelations and ensuing cover-up. The Vatican announced that Benedict was working on the pastoral letter shortly after the meeting.

A top Vatican official, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, said the Pope's pastoral letter would contain "specific measures" on how Church institutions and communities, not just in Ireland, should deal with cases of pedophile priests as well as other forms of abuse.

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