BishopAccountability.org
	Pope to Grill Bishops on Sex Abuse Treatment of Child Scandals by Irish Church Faces In-Depth Scrutiny at the Vatican By John Cooney Irish Independent October 14, 2006 http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1706051&issue_id=14767 THE Irish Catholic bishops face a rigorous scrutiny by Pope Benedict XVI and his advisers over the next fortnight as to how effectively they have handled the clerical child-abuse scandals. The bishops will also be expected to account for how they have addressed national and pastoral issues at a time of unprecedented decline in vocations, Mass-going and public respect for the church in a multi-cultural and more secularised society. Thirty-two bishops, led by Archbishop Sean Brady of Armagh, will travel to the Holy See this weekend. There they will present individual reports on the state of religion in Ireland to the Pope and the civil-service heads of the Roman Curia. The interviews, which will take place from Monday until the end of the month, form part of the bishops' five-yearly visit to Rome to give an exhaustive account of their work in Ireland's 26 dioceses. Owing to the ill health of the late Pope John Paul II, their visit did not take place in 2004. This month provides Pope Benedict with the opportunity of familiarising himself in detail with the current state of the Catholic Church in Ireland. He and his advisers will take stock of developments since the bishops' last visit in 1999. Then, John Paul spoke sternly of the "terrible scandal" of abusing priests, and expressed his solidarity with those who had been "the victims of sexual abuse on the part of clerics and religious". Last December the bishops issued their updated child-protection policies and procedures in the document titled,'Our Children, Our Church'. However, doubts remain at Government level as to how these are being enforced, amid reports that they have not received Rome's full approval. Some tough talking is expected to take place in the splendid offices of Roman Cardinals behind closed doors. "I would not be surprised if the bishops get a bit of a thumping," one priest said. His attitude is typical of many priests who are angry that bishops are removing priests automatically from their posts once an allegation, however flimsy or gossipy, is made against them. Because of the number of Irish-born priests involved in abuse scandals around the English-speaking world, there will be enormous interest internationally as to how Pope Benedict responds to the bishops' explanations.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.