Archbishop: Church Is at Breaking Point over Molesters

By Mary Papenfuss
The Newser
March 5, 2012

http://www.newser.com/story/141051/archbishop-church-is-at-breaking-point-over-molesters.html

Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin speaks to the media during a press conference in Dublin. He said no words of apology will ever be sufficient to the victims of child abuse. Photo by Peter Morrison

Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has been critical of the church hierarchy's handing of pedophile priests. Photo by Niall Carson

(Newser) – Catholic officials' failure to adequately police and punish molesters in the clergy has placed the Irish church at a "breaking point," Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin tells Sixty Minutes. The Irish Catholic leader has angrily criticized the church hierarchy for moving pedophiles from parish to parish, and defied Vatican orders by releasing thousands of pages of investigations of molester priests. He calls the abuse of children "devastating." Abuse "isn't just the actual sexual acts, which are horrendous," Martin adds. "But sexual abuse of a child is a total abuse of power. It's saying to a child, 'I control you.' And that is saying to the child, 'You're worthless.'"

Now, he says, there's "a real danger today of people saying, 'The child abuse scandal is over, let's bury it, let's move on.' It isn't over." The controversy has produced diplomatic tensions between Vatican and the Irish government, whose officials have blasted the Vatican for mishandling the abuse crisis. The Vatican has recalled its ambassador to Ireland, and the current coalition government is planning to close the Irish embassy in the Vatican, reports the Guardian.