Findings of the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland published
March 20, 2012: The Summary of the findings of the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland
was published on Tuesday. It synthesised the results of the Visitations to the four
Archdioceses, to Religious Institutes and to the Irish Seminaries. In the report,
the Holy See reiterated the sense of dismay expressed by Pope Benedict XVI in his
Letter to the Catholics of Ireland and his closeness towards the victims of the sinful
and criminal acts committed by priests and religious.
The Visitation acknowledged
the seriousness of the shortcomings that gave rise to an inadequate understanding
of and reaction to the terrible phenomenon of the abuse of minors. But it also found
that, beginning in the 1990s, decisive progress has been made, leading to a greater
awareness of the problem and profound changes in the way of addressing it. It is
recommended that Bishops and Religious Superiors keep up their commitment to welcoming
and supporting victims of abuse.
The guidelines contained in the 2008 document
Safeguarding Children envisage: far-reaching involvement of the lay faithful and of
ecclesiastical structures in the work of prevention and formation, close cooperation
with civil authorities in swift reporting of accusations, and constant reference to
the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in matters that pertain to its competence.
The Visitation noted the work of the National Board for Safeguarding Children
as thorough and far-reaching. Of particular value is its auditing of the implementation
of the Guidelines in individual Dioceses and Religious Institutes. It is recommended
that this auditing process be extended as soon as possible to all the Dioceses and
Religious Institutes and that it be regularly repeated.
On the basis of the
recently published document Interim Guidance, Bishops and Religious Superiors, in
cooperation with the National Board, will have to formulate norms for handling cases
of priests or religious who have been accused, but in whose case the Director of Public
Prosecutions has decided not to proceed. Similarly, norms should be established for
facilitating the return to ministry of falsely accused priests, and for ensuring that
proper pastoral attention is given to priests or religious who are found guilty of
abuse of minors.
The Visitation appreciated that in the seminaries, clear child
protection norms are in place, with a broad understanding of all that this involves
for the life of the Church. Each Religious Institute is invited to design a three-year
programme for focusing anew on the founding charism to revitalize individual communities
in the areas of prayer, community life and apostolic mission.
The Visitation
recognized that the painful events of recent years have also opened many wounds within
the Catholic community. But this time of trial has also brought to light the continuing
vitality of the Irish people’s faith. Finally, certain pastoral priorities are mentioned
to guide renewal: formation in the content of the faith, a new appreciation of the
commitment of the laity, the role of teachers of religion, openness to the contribution
offered by Movements and Associations, and fidelity to the teachings of the Magisterium.
The Holy See and the Irish Bishops have already initiated a joint reflection on the
present configuration of Dioceses in Ireland, with a view to adapting diocesan structures
to make them better suited to the present-day mission of the Church in Ireland.