ARCHBISHOP OF Dublin Diarmuid Martin has asked for pardon for the Catholic Church's "faults" in the way it has handled the issue of child abuse.
He was speaking at a Mass for World Day of Peace in the Church of the Assumption, Booterstown, Co Dublin, yesterday, which was attended by President Mary McAleese and her husband Dr Martin McAleese.
"As Archbishop of Dublin, I recognise the faults of the church in this area and I ask for pardon at the beginning of a new year, especially where I personally have caused hurt," said Dr Martin in his homily.
"As Archbishop of Dublin, I also know of the desire of many to work for a church and a society more robust in their care and protection of children - right across the board and working together," he said.
"We need a church which protects and we need a church which becomes a model and a partner of protection. I would hope, for example, that in the year to come it would be possible to take up the appeal made by Pope Benedict at his Christmas Mass and work on the basis of partnership to eliminate all the various forms of abuse of children wherever they exist in our nation and around the world."
Speaking to The Irish Timesafterwards, he said that where the diocese of Cloyne was concerned, it was now "a case of wait and see what the HSE can come up with. That will clarify things." A HSE report on child protection practices in Cloyne and other Catholic dioceses is to be presented to the Government next Wednesday.
On December 19th, a highly critical report by the Catholic Church-established National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland into child protection practices in Cloyne, was published by that diocese. It found that child protection practices there were "inadequate and in some respects dangerous"
On December 23rd, Dr Martin issued a statement in which he said he was "extremely concerned that within a purported 'one-church-policy', there may in fact be a wide diversity in the interpretation and application of agreed procedures".
He was waiting for a written assurance from the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church that all dioceses and religious congregations had "committed themselves to a common system of accountable child protection and are applying it in a uniform way", he said.
Addressing the economic situation, he made a special plea for the elderly in his homily yesterday.
"In times of cutbacks, some will say that we cannot allow any group in society to be made into a special case. Everyone must face the brunt of cutbacks together. There is a sense, however, in which our elderly today are the ones who have spent the best part of their lives bearing the burdens of the day, in financial and in terms of personal commitment, and we owe them a special debt."
The congregation also included Cmdt Mick Treacy representing the Taoiseach, Minister for Social and Family Affairs Mary Hanafin, Minister of State for European Affairs Dick Roche, Government Chief Whip Pat Carey, Lord Mayor of Dublin Eibhlín Byrne, MEP Gay Mitchell, Senator Eugene Regan, Government secretary Dermot McCarthy, Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy, Deputy Commissioner Martin Callinan, and acting Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Maj Gen Pat O'Sullivan.
Also in attendance was Mr Justice Richard Johnson, representing the judiciary, many members of the diplomatic corps and former taoisigh Liam Cosgrave and Albert Reynolds.
