I am truly sorry: Pope Benedict apologises for decades of child abuse in Irish Catholic Church
It was a needed admission and appeal for forgiveness of sins committed by and covered-up by the Roman Catholic Church. It does not heal the victims, it will open up massive law suits, it will actually harm the Church for some time; that is, just the confession of actual guilt will mean the Church’s confession legal and financial liability.
My concern, even though I am not a Roman Catholic, did the Pope participate any any cover-ups when he was a priest in Germany?
Pope Benedict today told victims of clerical child abuse in Ireland he was ‘truly sorry’ for their suffering.
In a pastoral letter to be read out at weekend masses across the island, the pontiff admitted some bishops had made grave errors of judgment in dealing with pedophile priests.
‘I can only share in the dismay and the sense of betrayal that so many of you have experienced on learning of these sinful and criminal acts and the way Church authorities in Ireland dealt with them,’ the Pope told abuse survivors.
‘You have suffered grievously and I am truly sorry.’
In the much-anticipated letter, Pope Benedict acknowledged that many victims who were brave enough to speak out found no one would listen.
The pontiff admitted there had been ‘a misplaced concern for the reputation of the Church and the avoidance of scandal, resulting in failure to apply existing canonical penalties and to safeguard the dignity of every person’.
‘In order to recover from this grievous wound, the Church in Ireland must first acknowledge before the Lord and before others the serious sins committed against defenceless children,’ he added.
‘Such an acknowledgement, accompanied by sincere sorrow for the damage caused to these victims and their families, must lead to a concerted effort to ensure the protection of children from similar crimes in the future.’
The pontiff also expressed willingness in his letter to meet with victims.
Revelations of decades of sickening abuse and subsequent cover-ups have rocked the Irish Catholic Church to its foundations.



