Irish archbishops travelling to Rome to prepare Vatican probe into abuse

(October 1, 2010) Four Irish archbishops will soon be travelling to Rome to meet Vatican officials about the apostolic visitation (or investigation) of their dioceses ordered by Pope Benedict XVI in response to the priestly sexual abuse scandal, the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference has announced. Cardinal Sean Brady of Armagh, Northern Ireland; and Archbishops Diarmuid Martin of Dublin, Dermot Clifford of Cashel and Emly, and Michael Neary of Tuam have been called by the leadership of the Congregation for Bishops to help prepare for the visitation, which the Pope said would help them address the sexual abuse scandal, improve assistance to victims and perfect preventative measures. However, a meeting with the Pope is not scheduled. Irish bishops had met Pope Benedict in February, after an independent study known as the Murphy Report said the church operated with a "culture of secrecy" in dealing with charges of abuse by victims and their families in the Archdiocese of Dublin from 1975 to 2004. Other reports showed the problem was widespread throughout other dioceses and often involved the complicity of Irish authorities. In a pastoral letter to Irish Catholics in March, Pope Benedict called for the apostolic visitation, promising to root out the problem that the church had ignored in the past.