The Archbishop of Dublin, Cardinal Desmond Connell, has said he deeply regrets the mistakes he has made in his handling of clerical child sex abuse cases and apologised "again from my heart" for "the terrible betrayal" suffered by victims and their families.
He also promised his "complete co-operation" with the Hussey Commission, which is investigating the handling of such cases in every Irish Catholic diocese, while "confident that whatever requirements of confidentiality may exist will be respected in the process".
In a letter read at all weekend Masses in Dublin and which it is believed was inspired by a Prime Time investigation into the handling of clerical child sex abuse cases in Dublin [to be broadcast on October 17th], he began by addressing the media's role in the crisis.
"You will be all too aware of the attention which continues to be given in the media to the problem of child sexual abuse by priests and the manner in which this has been dealt with by the Church.
"Such media attention has undoubtedly contributed to the process of coming to terms with the nature and scale of the problem, both in society at large and within the Church, and for this we must all be genuinely appreciative."
However "at the same time, confidence in the Church as an institution and even religious faith itself can be undermined, where matters are presented without adequate context or in a way which fails to take account of the steps taken to deal with the problem".
Where victims were concerned, "further scandal has undoubtedly been caused by the fact that, having approached the Church in expectation of the best possible care and the most sympathetic response, some people suffered further hurt.
"We have been slow to understand the depth of their trauma and the nature of their needs. Neither canon law nor Church structures were designed to deal with the scope of the problem we have been facing and, in the past, we have not always responded as quickly or as appropriately as we should."
Having said that, he added, he was concerned that nothing should have the effect of reopening wounds. "This applies in the first place to those who suffered abuse and their families, who must be our chief preoccupation in these circumstances. To them, above all, I want to apologise again from my heart for the terrible betrayal they have suffered. I do so in my own name, with a keen sense of our failures to deal more adequately with the problem, as well as in the name of all of us who in any way represent the Church," he said.
He said the Church "must clearly acknowledge that despite the efforts we made in the past, we failed in significant ways to deal with it appropriately. I deeply regret the mistakes I have made in seeking to come to grips with the problem.
"In many instances we did not act with the necessary speed and decisiveness, not because of wilful neglect but owing to our very inadequate understanding of the recurrent nature of the problem of paedophilia and the strategies used by perpetrators to hide the truth from themselves and others and to manipulate their all-too-vulnerable victims. For these failures we ask for forgiveness."
He outlined measures taken since becoming Archbishop in 1988. In 1995, diocesan files going back 50 years were examined and the names of 17 priests were passed to gardaí. In 1996 a diocesan advisory panel was set up in line with the Irish bishops' guidelines of January 1996 and he had recently set up a Child Protection Office.
Cardinal Connell's letter in full is available at www.ireland.com
