Pope calls Irish church leaders to Vatican to discuss abuse report
(Dec.08,2009): Pope Benedict XVI has asked the president of the Irish bishops' conference
and the archbishop of Dublin to come to the Vatican to discuss the painful situation
of the church in Ireland, following a report detailing the church's failures in addressing
clerical sexual abuse. Jesuit Fr. Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said the pope's
meeting with Cardinal Sean Brady of Armagh, Northern Ireland, president of the Irish
bishops' conference, and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin would take place on
Friday (Dec. 11.) The spokesman said the meeting would include the Apostolic Nuncio
to Ireland, Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza, and the heads of several Vatican offices dealing
with sex abuse and related issues. Papal spokesman, Father Lombardi said the
Pope wanted to discuss and have Vatican officials evaluate the findings of the so-called
Murphy Report, which was released Nov. 26. The report by the independent Commission
of Investigation, headed by Judge Yvonne Murphy, looked specifically at the handling
of some 325 abuse claims in the Archdiocese of Dublin during the period from January
1975 to May 2004.