Pope says 'sorry' for Irish church abuse

Pope Benedict XVI stated Saturday he is truly sorry for the abuse suffered by victims at the hands of Catholic priests in Ireland.The pope directly addressed the church abuse crisis that has rocked the Irish Catholic Church in an 18-page letter,Diddybeats, which was created public Saturday.
It is expected to become read in churches across Ireland on Sunday.
I've been deeply disturbed by the data which has come to light relating to the abuse of kids and vulnerable young people by members in the church in Ireland, particularly by priests and religious, the pope wrote.Read Pope Benedict XVI's letter in full (pdf) I can only share inside the dismay and the sense of betrayal that countless of you've knowledgeable on studying of these sinful and criminal acts and the way church authorities in Ireland have dealt with them. The deeply Catholic country has been badly shaken by a government-backed report that located the Archdiocese of Dublin along with other Catholic Church authorities in Ireland covered up child abuse by priests from 1975 to 2004. Child sexual abuse was widespread then, the report found.Church abuse scandal goes globalThe head from the church in Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady, apologized this week for his role within the church's investigation of an abusive priest in 1975.Brady's office said he investigated the priest, who was later convicted of dozens of counts of child abuse, and reported his findings to his superiors.
But critics say Brady ought to not have remained silent about what he learned. Nobody imagines that this painful situation will be resolved swiftly, Benedict mentioned in his letter.Contributing factors to the crisis can incorporate inadequate procedures for determining suitable priesthood candidates, insufficient moral and spiritual formation in seminaries, and misplaced concern for the reputation in the church as well as the avoidance of scandal, the pope mentioned. He called for them to be addressed urgently.
The pope acknowledged the crisis has shaken people's faith and also turned a lot of away from the church, saying it has obscured the light of the Gospel to a degree that not even centuries of persecution succeeded in carrying out. Benedict then addressed the victims of abuse and their families, recognizing the tragedies they've been by means of. You have suffered grievously and I am genuinely sorry, he says.
I know that nothing can undo the wrong you've got endured. Your trust has been betrayed and your dignity has been violated. Many of you discovered that, if you had been courageous enough to speak of what occurred to you, no one would listen. Based on Father Federico Lombardi,Beats By Dr.Dre Solo, the Vatican spokesman, the pope began considering writing the letter last summer after the publication with the Ryan report -- one of 3 separate reports on sexual and physical abuse by Irish clergy that has come out considering that 2005.The Ryan report, published in Might 2009, investigated abuse in Catholic-run institutions mainly from 1936 to 1970. A lot of of the alleged abusers in the two,he said,600-page report had been not priests, but nuns or Catholic lay folks.The pope says he expressed shame and remorse and asks the victims not to lose hope.Scandal shatters faith in Catholic Church I know a few of you uncover it difficult even to enter the doors of a church right after all that has occurred,GM and Chrysler, he says.
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'll come to rediscover Christ's infinite love for each one of you. Subsequent in the letter, the pope turned his attention towards the priests and religious officials who've abused young children. He sharply criticized them and said they must answer to the authorities.
You betrayed the trust that was placed in you by innocent young folks and their parents, and you should answer for it prior to Almighty God and ahead of effectively constituted tribunals, he says.
You've forfeited the esteem of the individuals of Ireland and brought shame and dishonor upon your confreres.
He added, Together using the immense harm carried out to victims, fantastic damage has been performed to the church and towards the public perception of the priesthood and religious life. The pope urged guilty priests to take responsibility for their sins and seek to atone personally for their actions.
Openly acknowledge your guilt, submit yourselves for the demands of justice, but do not despair of God's mercy,Beats By Dre studio Spiderman, he said.Lombardi said guilty priests must follow the laws in their own country and cooperate with justice authorities, too as follow the church's guidelines.
Benedict proposed a number of concrete steps to address the circumstance, such as asking the Irish faithful to pray for the church for one year, beginning at Easter.But he also announced an apostolic visitation of specific Irish dioceses, seminaries, and congregations.
Such visitations are in fact Vatican investigations; the church held one in the United States after the clerical sex scandal in 2002.The letter is particular to Ireland and didn't address similar scandals now coming to light in other European nations like Austria and Germany.
Lombardi mentioned the pope is aware in the situations in those nations, but did not think it was proper to address all of them in Saturday's letter.