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	Vatican Action Long Overdue Irish Independent December 9, 2009 http://www.independent.ie/opinion/editorial/vatican-action-long-overdue-1968242.html IRELAND -- WORDS, words words. Apologies are just words.' So said a woman who, as a child, was abused by a priest. She was responding to the Papal ambassador's assertion that the Vatican was shamed by the findings of the Murphy enquiry into clerical child abuse in Dublin. The Papal Nuncio summoned up strong words, such as shock and dismay and condemn, but did not clarify whether he was shocked and dismayed at the abusive paedophile priests who preyed on children or the sly actions of their superiors who covered up the crimes. All too often, devout Catholic parents who discovered that their child had been abused by a priest made the mistake of approaching a religious superior instead of reporting to the civil authorities, only to subsequently discover, to their horror, that the offender had simply been moved to another parish or institution. What a revolting betrayal of trust by educated men of supposed high moral standing. The Nuncio, Giuseppe Leanza, spoke up after a meeting with the Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheal Martin. How often will senior figures in the Catholic Church have to be shamed, cajoled and prompted before they respond and accept some responsibility for the actions of the organisation they represent? The Pope must be acutely aware of what went on in Ireland and of worldwide resentment of his church as more and more vile cover-ups are dragged into the open. Action from the Vatican is long overdue. More words will simply not be enough.
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