SURVIVORS OF clerical child sex abuse have reacted angrily to the news that Pope Benedict has rejected the resignation of two Dublin auxiliary bishops named in the Murphy report.Clerical abuse survivor Andrew Madden said he was not surprised to hear the resignation had not been accepted by the Vatican.
“Since the Murphy report was published, the Catholic Church in Ireland and at Vatican level has failed to take responsibility for the findings of that report, in particular the finding that sexual abuse of children by priests was covered up by archbishops and bishops for decades,” said Mr Madden.
“Pope Benedict and Cardinal Brady both failed to protect children from priests they knew to be abusers and in both cases those priests went on to abuse more children – in that context today’s announcement should come as no surprise to anyone,” he added.
But John Kelly, co-ordinator of the support group Survivors of Child Abuse (Soca) said he was “astonished” by the news.
“So much was expected of the pontiff and so little was delivered especially as in the pastoral letter to the Irish people the pope said that priests and bishops needed to surrender themselves to the demands of justice. Here were two of many who did surrender themselves and been refused. That sends out a signal that there is to be no change, no closure for victims and no accountability.”
He added: “There’s a cancer within the church and the pope knows it. That cancer needs to be eradicated and Pope Benedict is the only one who can remove it and he is refusing to do it.”
Deirdre Kenny, advocacy officer with One in Four described the pope’s decision as “extraordinary”.
“When the two bishops offered their resignations they said they hoped their action would bring peace and reconciliation to the victims of clerical abuse but that has now been undone by the pope’s refusal to accept their resignation,” she said.
It “raises questions about the Vatican’s attitude around accountability and again leaves abuse survivors feeling the church does not understand the damage that has been caused”.
Ellen O’Malley-Dunlop, of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre questioned why the resignations had been rejected when others had been accepted, while the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said the pope was “rubbing salt into the wounds of victims”.
SIC: IT