The bishops of Ireland wrapped up their meeting with Pope Benedict today regarding the sex-abuse scandal in that country. The Holy See has released an official statement about the closed-door meeting:
For his part, the Holy Father observed that the sexual abuse of children and young people is not only a heinous crime, but also a grave sin which offends God and wounds the dignity of the human person created in his image. While realizing that the current painful situation will not be resolved quickly, he challenged the Bishops to address the problems of the past with determination and resolve, and to face the present crisis with honesty and courage.
He also expressed the hope that the present meeting would help to unify the Bishops and enable them to speak with one voice in identifying concrete steps aimed at bringing healing to those who had been abused, encouraging a renewal of faith in Christ and restoring the Church’s spiritual and moral credibility.
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The Holy Father also pointed to the more general crisis of faith affecting the Church and he linked that to the lack of respect for the human person and how the weakening of faith has been a significant contributing factor in the phenomenon of the sexual abuse of minors. He stressed the need for a deeper theological reflection on the whole issue, and called for an improved human, spiritual, academic and pastoral preparation both of candidates for the priesthood and religious life and of those already ordained and professed.
Some survivor groups are, perhaps predictably, already saying that the results of the meeting are inadequate:
A US-based abuse survivors’ group has criticised the outcome of the meeting between Pope Benedict and the Irish diocesan bishops that was held today. Barbara Blaine, president of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said it was “heart-breaking” that the resignation of bishops was not even discussed at the meeting.
“Words come easy to Vatican officials, who time and time again tell us they’re allegedly upset about clergy sex crimes and cover-ups,” she said. “But if they were as upset as they claim about clergy sex crimes and cover-ups, there would be more than just words.”
She said the resignation of bishops would not suddenly fix everything but it would be a long-overdue, tangible step in the right direction.
Granted, some of these survivor groups have been criticized for being too extreme in their demands, but is it fair to say that, in general, more was needed from the meeting than what is contained in the Vatican’s statement?
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