Survivors of clerical abuse tonight demanded leadership and accountability from Pope Benedict as Irish Bishops prepared for a major Vatican summit over the devastating scandals.
John Kelly, of the Survivors of Child Abuse support group, said they want Pope Benedict to take firm action to restore the church in Ireland and provide proper financial compensation to victims.
“We’ve asked the Pontiff to restore the honour to the Irish nation,” Mr
Kelly said. “The honour that was so severely damaged at home and abroad by the atrocities committed by the anti-Christ over the last 50 years. To restore the true Church to Ireland. Because it wasn’t up to now.”
A similar Vatican meeting took place in 2002 when US cardinals were invited to Rome by then Pope John Paul II to discuss abuse scandals involving the American church.
It came under fire for its handling of a series of abuse allegations as well as covering up misconduct and moving alleged abusers from job to job.
Michael O’Brien, a former Fianna Fail politician and abuse survivor, demanded the Pope apologise to the people of Ireland.
“We want the Pope to make a proper apology to Ireland, for what happened in Ireland,” he said. “We don’t want a bland apology, we want an apology to those of us in Ireland who were abused and to the people of Ireland who are 100 per cent behind us on this.”
“This is not an Irish problem. This is a Catholic Church worldwide problem. Religious orders, world wide problem.”