Vatican says Pope Outraged by Sex Abuse in Ireland

(December 12, 2009) Pope Benedict XVI shares "the outrage, betrayal and shame" felt by Irish Catholics over cases of clerical sexual abuse and the way abuse claims were handled by church leaders, and he plans to write a special pastoral letter to the Catholics of Ireland, the Vatican said. The letter "will clearly indicate the initiatives that are to be taken in response to the situation," said a statement issued by the Vatican December 11. The statement was released after the pope and top Vatican officials spent 90 minutes meeting with Cardinal Sean Brady of Armagh, Northern Ireland, president of the Irish bishops' conference, and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman and Director of Vatican Radio, said Pope Benedict approved the statement, which "obviously reflects his style and tone" in discussing revelations about clerical sex abuse. Fr Lombardi said he was not sure when the letter would be ready, but he expected it fairly soon since the pope wanted to respond to the sense of outrage and hurt Irish Catholics currently are experiencing. Pope Benedict, the statement said, "was deeply disturbed and distressed" by the contents of a report by an independent Commission of Investigation, headed by Judge Yvonne Murphy, which looked at the handling of some 325 abuse claims in the Archdiocese of Dublin in the years 1975-2004. Church sources expected some bishops to resign in the wake of this report that said Church leaders in Ireland had covered up widespread abuse of children by priests for 30 years.