(excerpts from the Pope’s Pastoral Letter to the Church in Ireland- 19th
March 2010)
I now turn to you with words that come from my heart, and I
wish to speak to each of you individually and to all of you as brothers and sisters
in the Lord.
To the victims of abuse and their families You
have suffered grievously and I am truly sorry. I know that nothing can undo the wrong
you have endured. Your trust has been betrayed and your dignity has been violated.
It
is understandable that you find it hard to forgive or be reconciled with the Church.
In her name, I openly express the shame and remorse that we all feel. At the same
time, I ask you not to lose hope.
To priests and religious who have abused
children You betrayed the trust that
was placed in you by innocent young people and their parents, and you must answer
for it before Almighty God and before properly constituted tribunals.
I urge
you to examine your conscience, take responsibility for the sins you have committed,
and humbly express your sorrow.
To parents You
have been deeply shocked to learn of the terrible things that took place in what ought
to be the safest and most secure environment of all.
I urge you to play your
part in ensuring the best possible care of children, both at home and in society as
a whole.
To the children and young people of Ireland We
are all scandalized by the sins and failures of some of the Church's members,…. But
it is in the Church that you will find Jesus Christ…. He loves you and he has
offered himself on the cross for you….he will never betray your trust!
To
the priests and religious of Ireland I
know that many of you are disappointed, bewildered and angered by the way these matters
have been handled by some of your superiors.
Yet, it is essential that you
cooperate closely with those in authority and help to ensure that the measures adopted
to respond to the crisis will be truly evangelical, just and effective.
To
the bishops It cannot be denied that
some of you and your predecessors failed, at times grievously, to apply the long-established
norms of canon law to the crime of child abuse. Serious mistakes were made in responding
to allegations.
Only decisive action carried out with complete honesty and
transparency will restore the respect and good will of the Irish people towards the
Church to which we have consecrated our lives.
Emerging from the Past …
the task you now face is to address the problem of abuse that has occurred within
the Irish Catholic community, and to do so with courage and determination. No one
imagines that this painful situation will be resolved swiftly.
…. in order
to recover from this grievous wound, the Church in Ireland must first acknowledge
before the Lord and before others the serious sins committed against defenceless children.
Such an acknowledgement, accompanied by sincere sorrow for the damage caused to these
victims and their families, must lead to a concerted effort to ensure the protection
of children from similar crimes in the future”.
For the Future In
confronting the present crisis, measures to deal justly with individual crimes are
essential, yet on their own they are not enough: a new vision is needed, to inspire
present and future generations to treasure the gift of our common faith.
I
encourage you to discover anew the sacrament of Reconciliation and to avail yourselves
more frequently of the transforming power of its grace.
Particular attention
should also be given to Eucharistic adoration, and in every diocese there should be
churches or chapels specifically devoted to this purpose.
I intend to hold
an Apostolic Visitation of certain dioceses in Ireland, as well as seminaries and
religious congregations
I also propose that a nationwide Mission be held for
all bishops, priests and religious.