IRELAND
Faith Trust Institute
The Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, was recently interviewed on 60 Minutes, discussing his efforts since becoming Archbishop to address the sexual abuse of children by priests.
One of his first acts as Archbishop was to release the Diocesan files on priests accused of abuse to the Murphy Commission established by the state to investigate the church’s handling of complaints. Martin’s predecessor had refused to release those files. But Martin has been outspoken in his support of survivors and unequivocal in calling abusive priests to accountability. The Vatican is not pleased.
Archbishop Martin seems to be rebuilding trust with Catholics in Ireland where the church has been devastated by the revelations of abuse by priests. The interviewer sought to paint him as a hero, but Martin demurred: “I didn’t set out to challenge anybody. . . . I was doing my job.” Indeed. He was doing his job as a Bishop: guiding the Church to be the church, responding to the suffering inflicted by the Church, protecting the most vulnerable, telling the truth.
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