There is a need “to work for a more reconciled Church” the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin said in Lourdes today.
He also expressed personal regret for people he has “ hurt or offended”, or “failed in my ministry to provide leadership on the path to a renewed and reconciled Church.”
He has also spoken of young people in this economic crisis “whose opportunities and dreams at the beginning of their working life have been dramatically restricted or even shattered.”
Speaking at the opening Mass of the Dublin diocesan pilgrimage in Lourdes, Archbishop Martin reflected that “this past year has been a difficult one for the Archdiocese of Dublin with the revelation of the extent of the suffering that was caused to children who were abused within the Church community and by the fact that their hurt was not heard or was ignored or set aside.”
Praying “for those who are still suffering from that hurt and that sense of betrayal,” he continued “we pray that they can find healing. We pray also for those for whom healing is still a long way off, that they will receive support.”
It had been, he said, “a difficult year for priests. We have great priests in Dublin.They feel a sense of shame for what happened, yet they continue day after day to carry out their ministry in difficult circumstances with zeal and generosity. I thank them for their ministry and their fidelity; I thank all those who have supported their local priests in these difficult times.”
Describing Lourdes as “a place of reconciliation”, he said,“we need to work for a more reconciled Church. We need to be reconciled with those from whom we have become estranged. We need to be reconciled within our own often divided hearts.”
He continued “I renew once again my own expression of regret for any way in which I have hurt or offended people or have failed in my ministry to provide leadership on the path to a renewed and reconciled Church.”
There was, he said, “great positive ferment in the Church in Dublin. We have reasons to be hopeful.” But, he continued, “we also have to be crystal clear about the fact that things are not as they were and our response cannot be as it was in the past. Change is painful, but change is needed.”
What was needed “is not something superficial. We need to deepen our faith, to renew our faith, to want to spread the good news about Jesus Christ to others, especially to the coming generations.”
The past year had been a difficult one more generally, he said, but that “a financial crisis is not just about banks and international financial institutions; it is about people’s livelihoods, people’s jobs, people’s mortgages and people’s security.
“We remember those whose lives have become ever more precarious. We remember the young people whose opportunities and dreams at the beginning of their working life have been dramatically restricted or even shattered. We remember those who have been forced to emigrate. We remember those who are sick or troubled or simply on in their years and for whom necessary services have become scarcer,” he said.
Almost 2,000 pilgrims left Dublin for Lourdes yesterday to take part in what is the 61st pilgrimage there from the archdiocese. They will be there until Sunday next .
An estimated 180 sick pilgrims are also taking part this year, supported by over 500 volunteers, including nurses and doctors and chaplains, as well as 200 young people from secondary schools and colleges in Dublin.