THE IMPACT of “scandals” in the Catholic Church would have been even more damaging were it not for the “quiet fidelity” of priests and religious, Catholic primate Cardinal Seán Brady said last night. Speaking in Killarney to an assembly of the priests and people of the diocese of Kerry, he said he would like to thank people who had offered encouragement to their priests and religious “through these incredibly difficult years”.
“They have been difficult years first and foremost for those who have suffered abuse and further hurt because of failure to respond appropriately,” he said.
“Our first thought should always be for those who have suffered abuse. The scandalous behaviour of some clergy has caused immense pain to them and to their families.
“Recent events also remind us that there is absolutely no room for complacency in this area. There is no pastoral issue more critical for the church in Ireland today than to ensure the right attitudes and the right procedures are in place to safeguard children. Of course we must also address issues such as healing and atonement . . . which are always a part of the Christian response to even the most appalling and unacceptable behaviour,” he added.
The cardinal said had it not been for the “quiet fidelity of thousands of priests and religious in the last few years the impact of the scandals would have been even more damaging than they have undoubtedly been”.
In a wide-ranging address on contemporary Ireland and the Catholic Church, Cardinal Brady also touched on Gaza as well as the global economic crisis. What was happening in Gaza was “appalling and we should all pray that the current military offensive by Israel as well as the attacks by Hamas on Israelis will stop immediately. The failure to resolve this historic conflict is ultimately a failure of international political will. We should pray for a new determination within the international community to address this and the other conflicts of our world as a matter of priority,” he said.
On the global economic crisis he said “the most urgent need in our world today is to develop an economy of peace, one which confronts the unjust distribution of the goods of the earth and progresses a culture of global solidarity, sustainability and sufficiency for all. This may require painful adjustments to our own understanding of wealth, what some economists have referred to as our ‘competitiveness’. But of itself such a model is not anti-wealth or anti-growth. It is simply an acknowledgment that an economy which supports authentic human development requires more than fiscal considerations”.
He added: “As we face into a year which will see many challenges to hope in our country, we need witnesses to hope. As we face into a year which will see the church here confronted with the painful reality of its own human failings, we need voices of hope.”
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(Source: IT)