Pope Says Sorry Over Irish Priests’ Sex Abuse Scandal
Pope Benedict XVI has expressed “shame and remorse” to victims and their families in Ireland over the alleged sex scandal involving Irish priests, saying “your trust had been betrayed and your dignity has been violated.”
Apologizing to the victims of child sex abuse by Irish priests, Pope Benedict XVI, in a pastoral letter to Irish Catholics, wrote that bishops were responsible for having made "serious mistakes" in responding to pedophilia allegations. He bemoaned, "You have suffered grievously and I am truly sorry. I openly express the shame and remorse that we all feel.”
The Irish Catholic Church has been mired into controversy relating to allegations of child sex abuse involving priests. Pope’s pastoral letter is Vatican’s first public statement on the child sex abuse.
Ireland is not the only country where scandals involving Catholic priests have surfaced. The priests have been accused of scandals in Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands.
Despite the apology from the Pope, various sections of society, including BBC Religious Affairs correspondent Robert Pigott, have deplored that the Pope’s statement fell short of owning responsibility by the Vatican.
Though the Pope had said that those guilty of abuse must "answer before God and properly constituted tribunals for the sinful and criminal actions they have committed," many like Maeve Lewis, executive director of One in Four, feel that the Pope’s letter fails to address the victims. Reuters news agency quotes Maeve Lewis as saying, "We feel the letter falls far short of addressing the concerns of the victims."
Pope, in his letter, writes that he is appalled at the agony of the victims of the crime, which has brought disgrace to the reputation of the Vatican. Though he said that Vatican officials would be sent to Ireland to investigate unspecified dioceses and religious congregations, he has not sought resignation from any of the bishops.
