The Results of the Visitation of the Irish Church Ordered by the Pope

Vatican Insider
March 20, 2012

http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/homepage/world-news/detail/articolo/irlanda-ireland-vaticano-vatican-abuse-abusi-abusos-13645/

[the report]


A summary of the findings of the Visitation to the Irish Church ordered by Pope Benedict XVI in the wake of the sexual-abuse of minors by priests’ scandal will be published today in Ireland.

The news was broken late on the night of March 19 by the Communications Office of the Irish Bishops’ Conference in an email to the media. It said a press conference would be held at Saint Patrick’s College Maynooth at 10.00 a.m. (Irish time) on March 20, to coincide with the publication of the “Summary of the Findings of the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland.” It announced that “senior members” of the Irish Bishops’ Conference and of the Conference of Religious of Ireland would attend.

The publication of the Visitation’s findings comes exactly two years after Pope Benedict first announced it in his Pastoral Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, released by the Vatican on 20 March 2010.

In that letter the Pope said he was sending an “Apostolic Visitation” to some of the Irish dioceses and to the country’s seminaries and religious houses. Its aim was “to assist the local Church on her path of renewal”, and the competent Vatican Offices would cooperate with the Irish Bishops Conference in planning the Visitation, he said.

Just over two months later, on 31 May 2010, the Vatican released details of the Visitation which, it said, would be carried out in the country’s four Metropolitan Archdioceses ( Armagh, Dublin, Cashel and Emly, and Tuam) and some other dioceses, as well as religious houses, and all the Irish seminaries, including the one in Rome, and focus on “priestly formation”.

The Vatican also named the papal Visitors, and said Cardinals Murphy O’Connor (Westminster) and O’Malley (Boston) together with two Canadian Bishops – Collins and Prendergast would visit the dioceses. Archbishop Dolan (New York) would head the seminary visitation, while two men and two women from religious orders - Archbishop Tobin (USA), Fr. McLaughlin (Ireland), and Sisters Sharon Holland (USA) and Mairin McDonagh (Ireland) would visit the religious houses.

It explained that the purpose of the Visitation was “to provide assistance” to the bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful “as they seek to respond adequately to the situation caused by the tragic cases of abuse perpetrated by priests and religious on minors” Moreover, the Visitation would seek “to contribute to the desired spiritual and moral renewal that is already being vigorously pursued by the Church in Ireland.”

It said the papal Visitors would “explore more deeply questions concerning the handling of the cases of abuse and the assistance owed to the victims”, and “monitor the effectiveness of and seek possible improvements to the current procedures for preventing abuse”.

It revealed that the competent Vatican offices would cooperate with the Visitors and Irish Church leaders in this work, including the Congregations for Bishops, for Catholic Education, and for Consecrated Life

The first phase of the Visitation concluded last May when the Visitors presented their reports to Rome, and discussed the results with senior Vatican officials. The Vatican issued a brief report on 6 June 2011, confirming that the Visitation to the dioceses and seminaries had been concluded, and it revealed that in the following months the relevant Vatican Congregations would give “indications for the spiritual renewal of the dioceses and seminaries”. It said the Visitation of the religious houses was not yet complete, but when it was done then the competent Vatican Congregation would give “indications” to them too in regard to their “spiritual renewal”.

Since then the results of the Visitation have been much discussed in the Vatican and with Pope Benedict who would have approved today’s report.

The June 2011 Vatican statement concluded by announcing that in early 2012 the Holy See would publish “an overall synthesis indicating the results and the future prospects highlighted by the Visitation”, also with a view to “the nationwide Mission” which Pope Benedict had announced in his Letter to Irish Catholics.

That “overall synthesis” is what is being published today. Many in Ireland will be looking to see what the report will have to say about how the Church has dealt with, and is dealing with the abuse crisis, how it is treating the victims. They will scrutinize what it has to say about “priestly formation” in Irish seminaries. And they will want to see whether a structural reorganization of the Irish Church is planned, through a reduction in the number of dioceses. Last but also very importantly, they will be looking to see what exactly is meant by the spiritual renewal of the Irish Church.