FORMER ARCHBISHOP of Westminster Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor has
spoken of encountering “a sense of betrayal” and “an awareness that
things will never be the same again” in Armagh archdiocese over the past
two weeks.
“I have also heard voices of faith and a determination to persevere in the building up of the Church in this diocese,” he said.
The Cardinal has been conducting an apostolic visitation to the archdiocese.
Pope
Benedict announced last year the “apostolic visitation” to certain
dioceses, seminaries and religious orders in Ireland to examine the
handling of abuse allegations.
At a service of penitence and
healing in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, yesterday, Cardinal Murphy
O’Connor spoke of encountering “a sense of betrayal and being in a place
of pain and most especially of the pain and the damage of those who
have been abused,” in the archdiocese.
“There are broken dreams . . . things will never be the same again,” he said.
He
had heard “voices of great pain and suffering of the survivors of abuse
. . . voices of discouragement, voices of honesty and the integrity of
the people and good priests”.
Above all he had listened to the
voices of hope, “hope that the past will not be forgotten . . . and
transparency in facing the issues of abuse.”
Catholic primate
Cardinal Seán Brady asked “for the grace to accept, with gratitude and
humility, the wisdom which will emerge” from the visitation.
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