November 04, 2005

Bishop’s ‘mea culpa’ over clerical sex abuse

IRELAND
Waterford News & Star

By Aileen Mulhall

THE Bishop of Waterford & Lismore issued a ‘mea culpa’ apology at weekend Masses throughout the city and county to those sexually abused by priests in this diocese and elsewhere in the Catholic Church.

In a letter read out by priests from church pulpits Most Rev. Dr William Lee said they had all been “deeply saddened and hurt” by the finding of the Ferns Report, which described the “enormous damage done by a number of priests” in the Diocese of Ferns, who had sexually abused children.

To anyone who had suffered in this way in the Diocese of Waterford & Lismore and throughout the Church, he offered again from his heart his “sincere apology” though he accepted words of apology seemed “very weak and inadequate”.

Posted by kshaw at November 4, 2005 04:44 PM