Pope Benedict apologises for Irish priests' sex abuse

[denise]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8577740.stm

Pope Benedict apologises for Irish priests' sex abuse

Pope Benedict XVI has apologised to victims of child sex abuse by Catholic priests in Ireland.

In a pastoral letter to Irish Catholics, he acknowledged the sense of betrayal in the Church felt by victims and their families.

The Pope said there had been "serious mistakes" among bishops in responding to allegations of paedophilia.

The pastoral letter is the first statement of its kind by the Vatican on the sexual abuse of children.

It follows revelations of paedophilia within the Irish Catholic Church, which have rocked the institution.

[Abiding in His Word]

He needs to do far more than apologize imo. The number of victims over the years defies the imagination.

[denise]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/ma ... c-scandals


Papal letter fails to quell scandals engulfing Irish Catholic church
Pontiff criticised for failing to set out reform programme as pressure grows on bishops

Sunday 21 March 2010

Pope Benedict XVI's pastoral letter to Ireland's Catholics has failed to arrest the scandal engulfing the church, with pressure growing for the resignation of bishops who were in positions of authority during the paedophile priest cover-up.


Calls for bishops to step down came amid revelations of more abuse cases, including some in Germany.

The Focus news magazine reported that the head of the German bishops' conference had admitted that the Roman Catholic church had consciously covered up cases of sexual abuse by priests.

It said Archbishop Robert Zollitsch of Freiburg, who also heads the conference, said "sexual abuse was covered up for decades by society".

He said that while most cases happened outside the church, "assaults that took place in such numbers within our institutions shame and frighten me", adding that "every single case darkens the face of the entire church".

[denise]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/w ... 075237.ece

March 26, 2010

Pope accused of ignoring pleas to stop priest who molested 200 deaf boys

Pope Benedict XVI was drawn deeper yesterday into the clerical sex abuse scandal that has begun to overwhelm the Roman Catholic Church, when he was accused of personally failing to take action against a serial paedophile.

The Pope was blamed directly for ignoring repeated pleas by senior American churchmen to take action against a priest who had molested up to 200 deaf boys.

[denise]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/commen ... ttr=797084

April 3, 2010

Archbishop on papal offer: ‘God bless them, I don’t’

Like a Druidic emissary from Tuatha Dé Danaan, the mythic inhabitants of Ireland, the Archbishop of Canterbury will lob a spiritual depth charge at Pope Benedict XVI on Monday when he damns the Catholic Church in Ireland as having lost all credibility.

[denise]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8601084.stm

Pope's preacher compares abuse row to anti-Semitism

Pope Benedict's personal preacher has compared criticism of the pontiff and Church over child abuse to "collective violence" suffered by the Jews.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? Comparing prosecuting CHILD MOLESTERS to the persecution and attempted annialation of the Jewish people!!!???

[denise]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8612457.stm

Pope Benedict hit by new Church child abuse allegations

The Pope is facing allegations he was responsible for delaying Church action against a paedophile priest - the first time he has been accused so directly.

The allegations stem from a letter signed by Benedict XVI in 1985, when he was a senior Vatican official.

Associated Press said it had obtained the letter, signed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, resisting the defrocking of offending US priest Stephen Kiesle.

The Vatican says he was exercising due caution before sacking the priest.

Cardinal Ratzinger - who was at the time the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - said the "good of the universal Church" needed to be considered in any defrocking, AP reported.

The Vatican has confirmed Cardinal Ratzinger's signature