The former Taoiseach, Mr John Bruton, last night issued a strong defence of the Catholic Church, which he said had played a major and positive role in Irish life.
Speaking during a debate in the Literary and Historical Society (L&H) in University College, Dublin, Mr Bruton acknowledged the faults of the church, particularly in associating itself in the past too closely to politics.
"Some faults that have to do with pride, and others that have to do with a weakening of the generous impulse that originally inspired its work," he told the audience. "It is out of this excess of power that important abuses in the church arose," he said.
He added: "The most notable is child sexual abuse, a horrible crime, a crime committed in church-run institutions, by members of the church, both clerical and lay but also, let it be said, a crime committed over generations in many Irish families, by people of every belief and of none. Power is prone to be abused, whether in family or religious life, and sexual abuse of children is one of the worst forms of abuse of power.
"The tolerance of these abuses over the years is as much a commentary on the faults, timidities and blindness of Irish society as a whole as it is a commentary on any one particular institution," the former Taoiseach said.
But, he said the church was preaching a message which was fundamentally true, "a message of humility. A belief in something greater than humankind. A message of hope. A message that puts life, and the life of individuals and all their vanities, back into proportion. A belief that stands up for the right to life of human individuals, in circumstances where utilitarians and non-believers might have cast such human life aside," he told the L&H.
Dealing with priestly celibacy, Mr Bruton said the church emphasised the need for self-sacrifice. "Celibacy in the clergy is controversial, and may well be quite unjustifiable, but it is a visible form of self-sacrifice. And self-sacrifice is something that should be part of any attempt at giving leadership, and probably part of any attempt to live a good life."
