Church's teaching authority damaged by scandals, Archbishop admits

The Church’s ability to speak out on issues regarding its teaching on marriage and the family, sexual morality and on its role in education has been damaged by the impact of the child abuse scandals, a leading Irish bishop has acknowledged.

In a statement on Monday following last week’s meeting of the Irish bishops with Pope Benedict, the Archbishop of Tuam, Dr Michael Neary said that, in the meeting, it was recognised that while child abuse was not a problem peculiar to the Church in Ireland, “nevertheless, its impact is intensified in the Church.”

This was damaging to its “credibility in a number of areas, for example, its teaching on marriage and the family, on sexual morality, and on the Church’s role in education and Catholic schools,” the statement added.

Dr Neary said that the “sense of pain, betrayal and anger expressed by victims was conveyed by the Bishops” to the Pope.

“Scandal and shame was acknowledged by all who participated.  A wide range of areas was covered in the discussion,” he added.

Dr Neary said that the meeting had underlined the need to analyse the contributing causes to what had taken place and the need to learn lessons for the future.

The statement added that the meeting acknowledged that a review of seminary admission policies, the way in which priests are trained: their spiritual, human, intellectual and pastoral formation, would be necessary in restoring credibility.

by Tom O'Gorman