Today Pope Benedict in his statement, following his meeting with Cardinal Brady and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin and high ranking members of the Roman Curia, said that “he shares the outrage, betrayal and shame felt by so many of the faithful in Ireland.” However he does not tell us what he feels about his church’s maintenance of secrecy, avoidance of scandal, protection of the reputation of the church and the preservation of its assets which according to Justice Murphy’s investigation were given priority over the welfare of children of Ireland and justice for victims.

Ellen O'Malley-Dunlop, Chief Executive, DRCC, said “The statement from the Vatican is totally inadequate. It is very disappointing for the victims who had hoped that the Pope at least, would demonstrate his outrage and call for the resignation of the bishops named in the Murphy Report. Instead, while he had the Report for over two weeks now, all he did was issue a statement where he promises to write a pastoral letter to the Faithful in Ireland in which he will “clearly indicate the initiatives that are to be taken in response to the situation.”

There is no indication given as to how long the Irish people and victims and survivors of clerical abuse, will have to wait for the Pope’s response. This is not good enough. This does not instil any confidence. While the Pope refers to the importance of the need to develop “effective and secure strategies to prevent any recurrence” unfortunately without any real action this can only be heard with scepticism.

For further information please contact:
Ellen O’Malley-Dunlop, CEO, DRCC - 01 661 4911 / 086 809 9618