Pope to Irish Bishops: Pray for Your Church This Lent

(February 17, 2010) During a meeting with the bishops of Ireland regarding the sexual abuse crisis there, Pope Benedict XVI urged the prelates to set aside Lent as a time to pray for the Church in their nation. A press release issued Tuesday at the end of the two-day summit, which called together all of the serving diocesan bishops of Ireland along with senior members of the Roman curia, affirmed that discussions revolved around the "serious situation" of the Church in that country. The prelates examined with the Pope the "failure of Irish Church authorities for many years to act effectively in dealing with cases involving the sexual abuse of young people by some Irish clergy and religious." "All those present recognized that this grave crisis has led to a breakdown in trust in the Church's leadership and has damaged her witness to the Gospel and its moral teaching," the press release acknowledged. Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican Spokes person said the pope “shares the outrage” over the abuse and noted he had “already expressed profound regret,” but that the issue of resignations was not addressed. The meeting was marked by a "spirit of prayer and collegial fraternity" and offered "guidance and support" to the 24 bishops "in their efforts to address the situation in their respective dioceses," the press release reported. The summit began Monday morning with Mass, and then a meeting with the Holy Father. Each bishop was given the opportunity to offer observations and suggestions about the situation. The Vatican communiqué noted that the prelates "spoke frankly of the sense of pain and anger, betrayal, scandal and shame expressed to them on numerous occasions by those who had been abused." The Pope affirmed that "the sexual abuse of children and young people is not only a heinous crime, but also a grave sin which offends God and wounds the dignity of the human person created in his image," the press release noted. It added that the Pontiff challenged the prelates to "address the problems of the past with determination and resolve, and to face the present crisis with honesty and courage."