Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday rebuked Irish bishops over a pedophile priest scandal and urged them to restore the Church’s “spiritual and moral credibility.”
The pope called child abuse a “heinous crime” and a “grave sin” as he wrapped up two days of talks with two dozen bishops seeking to limit the damage from the scandal.
“All those present recognized that this grave crisis has led to a breakdown of trust in the Church’s leadership,” the pope said, calling for “concrete steps aimed at bringing healing” to the victims of decades of abuse.
Explosive government investigations in Ireland revealed that one priest admitted to sexually abusing more than 100 children, while another said he had abused minors on a fortnightly basis over 25 years.
The pope faulted “the failure of the Irish Church authorities for years to act effectively over cases of sexual abuse against young people,” the Vatican said in a statement.
“The bishops spoke frankly of the sense of pain and anger, betrayal, scandal and shame expressed to them on numerous occasions,” it said.
They vowed to cooperate with Irish courts investigating sexual abuse charges, the Vatican added.
The Irish delegation was led by Cardinal Sean Brady, primate of all Ireland, who in December met Benedict along with Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin over the crisis after two judicial reports into the abuse.
Brady told a news conference on Tuesday: “There have been failures of course in our leadership and as one of the victims’ daughters said, the only way we will regain that credibility is through our humiliation.”
An Irish support group slammed the Vatican talks, saying it wanted action rather than words and called on the pope to visit Ireland.
“The Irish people and the victims are entitled to expect firm actions from the pope,” Survivors of Child Abuse group founder John Kelly said. “We are entitled to expect that the pope make those who committed crimes or covered up crimes, including bishops, be made accountable.”
Also on Tuesday, a US group dismissed the Vatican talks as a “carefully orchestrated public relations move.”
“Does anyone honestly think that the very same men who ignored and concealed child sex crimes for decades will ... suddenly be part of the solution, instead of part of the problem?” asked Barbara Dorris of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.
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