Pope starts his Irish visit with a mea culpa
Francis tells of ‘shame and pain’ over Church’s sex abuse scandal
THE Pope spoke of his ‘pain and shame’ over clerical sex abuse yesterday during his historic trip to Ireland as he faced calls to fulfil his promises to tackle the scandal.
A beaming Francis I was cheered by jubilant crowds as he was driven through the streets of Dublin in his white Popemobile on the first visit to the country by a leader of the Roman Catholic Church for almost 40 years.
But he also faced vociferous protests. In an effort to dispel widespread f ury over decades of cover-ups of paedophile priests, he held a 90- minute behind- closeddoors meeting with eight abuse victims and has admitted the Church had let them down.
In a speech to dignitaries and politicians at Dublin Castle, he said he was ashamed by the Church’s failure to address the ‘repellent crimes’ of sex abuse, and people had a right to be outraged.
Echoing a letter he sent to the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics last week in which he condemned the ‘ atrocities’ that had rocked the Church, he said: ‘I cannot fail to acknowledge the grave scandal caused in Ireland by the abuse of young people by members of the Church charged with responsibility for their protection and education. The failure of ecclesiastical authorities – bishops, religious superiors, priests and others – adequately to address these repellent crimes has rightly given rise to outrage, and remains a source of pain and shame for the Catholic community. I myself share those sentiments.’
Departing from his script, he added that he had a ‘greater commitment to eliminating this scourge in the Church, at any cost’ – though critics say he has not lived up to his early pledges to act decisively.
He was bluntly told at the same event by the Irish premier, Leo Varadkar, that there was still ‘much to be done’ to achieve justice for victims of abuse, reflecting criticism that the Vatican has hampered investigations into corrupt clergy.
In outspoken comments, Mr Varadkarsaidt he‘ dark aspects of the Catholic Church’s history’ had created a ‘bitter and broken heritage for so many, leaving a legacy of pain and suffering’.
Calling for ‘zero tolerance’, the Taoiseach added: ‘Magdalene Laundries, mother- and- baby homes, industrial schools, illegal adoptions and clerical child abuse are stains on our state, our society and also the Catholic Church.
‘ People kept in dark corners, behind closed doors, cries for help that went unheard... Holy Father, I ask that you use your office and influence to ensure this is done here in Ireland and across the world. We must now ensure that from words flow actions.’
But the controversy failed to quell the spirits of tens of thousands of people who packed the streets to wave flags and cheer as the Pope passed by on his way to St Mary’s Pro Cathedral, where he sat in prayer near a candle for abuse victims. He also passed close to the site of a former Magdalene laundry where young women from difficult backgrounds were forced to work in harsh conditions by nuns.
On the last day of his 36-hour trip today, he will fly to County Mayo where he will take part in a religious service at a shrine in Knock, before presiding at a vast outdoor Mass in Dublin. In a sign of the seismic changes on social and religious issues that have taken place in Ireland since John Paul II’s visit in 1979, when the Catholic Church was still a dominant force, Francis’s congregation is expected to number about 500,000, half that of his predecessor.