Irish bishop begin summit with Pope

(February 15, 2010) Ireland's top Catholic bishop says a summit with Pope Benedict XVI on the clergy sex abuse scandal is a first step toward repentance for the predominantly Catholic nation. Armagh Archbishop Sean Brady of Armagh, the primate of all Ireland, told Vatican Radio that the two days of meetings that began on Monday are part of a journey of renewal for the Irish church, for centuries a pillar of that nation's society. In fact, Pope Benedict dedicated the whole of Monday to his meeting with the Irish bishops. Archbishop Brady is one of 24 bishops who will each speak to the pontiff about their views and knowledge of decades-long sexual, psychological and physical abuse of minors by parish priests and by clergy in Catholic orphanages, workhouses, and other institutions. Two reports last year documented decades of abuse as well as cover-ups. Earlier, last week, in an address to the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the Family, Pope Benedict XVI condemned the abuse of children by priests, saying the church will never stop deploring such behaviour.