The Archbishop of Dublin has pleaded with
the Vatican to publish its overdue blueprint for the reform of the
Catholic Church in Ireland.
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has revealed his
‘increasing impatience’ with the Vatican over its failure to print the
report commissioned by Pope Benedict last year.
A team of leading foreign clerics undertook a
special probe of the scandal-hit Irish church and their investigations
were completed before Easter.
The Vatican was scheduled to report their findings by the end of May but the Archbishop is still waiting to see the document.
“The Holy Father initiated a process of
support for the Irish Church which is set out in his Letter to the
Catholics of Ireland,” said Dr Martin.
“His commitment to the Irish church is
remarkable. I have experienced only support from him in my mission
through his teaching and personal support.”
The Archbishop then revealed that he is keen to learn the findings of the Vatican probe as soon as possible.
“I am impatient to learn about the path that
the Apostolic Visitation will set out for renewal for the Irish church
so that our renewal will move forward decisively,” he added.
“I am also becoming increasingly impatient
at the slowness in the process which began over a year ago. This is not a
criticism of the Holy Father. It is an appeal to his collaborators. The pace of the change in Irish religious
culture is such that the longer the delay in advancing the fruits of the
Apostolic Visitation, the greater the danger of false expectations and
the greater the encouragement to those who prefer immobilism to reform.”
The Vatican probe was ordered in the wake of the Murphy Report into clerical child abuse in the Dublin archdiocese.