PRESS RELEASE
15 June 2010 Male carers offered help and support by Crosscare A pilot project, aimed at supporting male carers has found that the men, some of whom are in their 80’s, have difficulty getting cover for just over an hour a week to take part in the support programme.

Crosscare, the social care agency of the Dublin Diocese, began the pilot programme at the beginning of last month to respond to the needs of men caring for ill or elderly wives or family members.

This week, to mark national Carers week, it is hoped the small group of men who did manage to take part in the course, will participate in an evaluation of the fledgling project with a view to extending it to help others in similar situations.

Since the 10th of May the group has been meeting on a weekly basis, attending a series of workshops designed to address their needs as carers. Among the aim of the project is to help carers cope with the isolation of their role, build social contacts, learn new skills in self care and gain knowledge of the importance of looking after yourself when you are dedicated to supported a loved one in need. The importance of stress management and nutrition and meal preparation is also covered in the workshops.

While this particular project has been aimed specifically at male carers in North Dublin, Crosscare has over 350 family carers that in a variety of situations that they support in the Dublin area.  

The Carer Support Programme’s is based in North Dublin and its aim is to help improve the quality of life of family carers who are often vulnerable and under considerable stress.

The programme is based on their experience, that if the Carer is supported, not only will the well being of the Carer be enhanced but also that the person being cared for may be enabled to stay at home for as long as is possible.

The carer support programme provides counselling, information, advice and training to family carers working full time or part time. In recent years they have expanded the outreach programme in view of the fact that many of the carers needed a support service in their own community.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

• Carers Week runs until 20th June.

• Further information on the full range of service available from the Crosscare programme is available at www.crosscare.ie

Contact:

Michael Mc Donagh, 087-6710442

PRESS RELEASE 10 June 2010 Statement by Fr Tony Mullins, Diocesan Administrator, on the 2010 Special Olympics Ireland Games in Limerick On behalf of the Diocese of Limerick I welcome all involved in the 2010 Special Olympics Ireland Games to Limerick.  In particular I welcome the 1,900 courageous athletes from throughout the island of Ireland who will participate in the games, their team coaches, official delegates and their family members. In welcoming you to Limerick I also wish to congratulate all the organisers for the work that went into preparing for the games and to thank the 3,500 volunteers for their generosity of spirit. I hope that everyone enjoys and celebrates the participation and achievements of the athletes and will take away very happy memories of their visit to Limerick.  I pray God's blessing on this great historic event in the life of Limerick and on our most welcome guests.  

ENDS

Further information:
Fr Paul Finnerty, Diocesan Secretary, Limerick 061 315856
Martin Long, Catholic Communications Office, Maynooth 086 172 7678

PRESS RELEASE
10 June 2010
Candlelight Midsummer Mass in Ballintubber Abbey for Tuam Diocesan Youth Council You, or a representative, are invited to the annual candlelight Mass in Ballintubber Abbey hosted by Tuam Diocesan Youth Council.  Details:
Venue: Ballintubber Abbey, Castlebar, Co Mayo

Date: Friday 18 June 2010

Time: 11:00pm           

After the celebration of Mass, the Tuam Diocesan Youth Council will host a barbeque and bonfire.  The event will be addressed by guest speaker Cameron Stewart, founder of not-for-profit movement and clothing line Ark (Acts of Random Kindness).  See Tuam Diocesan Youth Council http://www.dyctuam.ie/.

In advance of the youth Mass in Ballintubber Cliona Feerick, Chairperson of the Diocesan Youth Council, said "The Ark story is a story of hope. The idealism of Cameron and his friends is truly inspiring and is a good news story worth hearing.  As Christians we can make a difference to our world.  Ark challenges each one of us to answer for ourselves the gospel question ‘Who is my neighbour?’ I am convinced that Cameron’s story will connect with and rekindle the idealism of young and old alike."
ENDS

Further information:
Fr Tod Nolan, Office of Religious Education, Diocesan Resource Offices, Tuam 093 52284
Martin Long, Catholic Communications Office, Maynooth 086 172 7678

PRESS RELEASE 9 June 2010 Diocese of Killaloe to hold press conference to welcome Bishop-elect Kieran O'Reilly The Diocese of Killaloe will host a press conference next week to welcome Bishop-elect Kieran O’Reilly.  Details are as follows:  

Date:     Wednesday 16 June 2010
Time:     10.30am
Venue:   Chapter Room of the Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul in Ennis.

The press conference will be addressed by Bishop Willie Walsh, Bishop-elect Kieran O’Reilly and Mr. Leonard Cleary, Chairperson of the Killaloe Diocesan Pastoral Council.  The press conference will conclude with a question and answer session and the participants will be available for photographs.

ENDS

Further Information
Fr. Brendan Quinlivan, Killaloe Diocesan Communications Officer 087 273 6310  
Martin Long, Catholic Communications Office 086 172 7678

PRESS RELEASE
8 June 2010
Mass to launch Parish Area Resource Teams and Diocesan Council for the Archdiocese of Armagh

Homily of Cardinal Seán Brady, St Patrick's Cathedral Armagh at 7:30pm

Homily:

On Sunday last there was a very sad funeral in my native parish. Simon Sexton was buried.  He was the young paramedic who died after being flung from an ambulance, as he was caring for a patient en route to Dublin.  From all accounts the community drew on all their gifts and used their many and different abilities, which they placed at the service of the young broken-hearted widow, and her six very young children to give them strength and bring them healing and consolation.
Edel, the eldest, aged 15 was strong enough to read a reading; Catherine, her mother, felt supported enough to offer a Post-Communion Reflection – Gifts – Abilities – Service.  St Paul tells of gifts, abilities and service.  They are present in every Christian community, in every parish, and they are present in abundance.  It was a case, not just of all working together but of all taking responsibility for what had to be done.

In recent times our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, made this same point to the clergy of Rome.  “It is a case of seeing the lay faithful, not just as collaborators but of actually being co-responsible for continuing the work of Christ here and now.”  It is a case of someone saying, “I am only one person; but I am one. I can’t do everything but what I can do, that I will do.”

We have heard, just now, St Paul tell us that Christ is like a single body which has many parts and many functions.  God has established a harmony in the Body.  If one part is suffering, all the rest suffers with it.  If one is treated with honour all the rest will find pleasure in it.  But immediately before that he spoke of the different gifts from the Holy Spirit.  There are different gifts, given by the same Spirit, different ways of serving the same Lord and many different abilities to perform service.

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, for example, religious life, but there are many others.  The same God gives ability to all for their particular service.  God gives ability to all, to you and to me and to the people we represent.  God does not make junk.

The presence of the Spirit is shown in some way in each person for the good of all.

The Spirit is present in the hearts of all, in each one of us.  In some way, not the same way, but in some way.

Why?  For what purpose?  For the good of all.  To help all become the Christ.  To help all to serve the Christ as described in the 'Aim'.
This evening we are adopting an Aim for this diocese.  How do we generate enthusiasm, not just for the adoption, but for the actual implementation of this Aim.

Perhaps it would help to ask ourselves two questions - What is the purpose of my life here and now on this planet?  I would suggest that we will likely come to the conclusion that it is in fact to become the Body of Christ, to become the Christ.  But a body dies when it is separated from the Spirit and in the same way faith is dead if it is separated from good works.  It is important therefore that each one of us strives to put on the mind of Christ.  In other words, to adopt the values and imitate the attitudes and behaviour of Christ Jesus.  The Spirit of Christ lives in our hearts in order to pray on our behalf and to bear witness in our lives to the fact that we are children of God.

The main question is: What is the Church for?  The Spirit of God lives in the Church in order to guide it into the way of truth.  The Spirit lives in the Church to unify it and to equip it with gifts so that it can help all of us to become the Body of Christ.  When we welcome the resources which the Spirit provides and work with them patiently and faithfully, then, and only then, will the Church become the Body of Christ.  Then the Church becomes adorned with the fruits of the Spirit, the fruits of the Spirit that are listed by St Paul, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithful humility and self-control.

This year, as I made my way to Confirmations up and down the diocese, I decided to pray the Rosary.  We always said the Glorious Mysteries, no matter what day of the week it was.  We did this to remind ourselves of the basic truth, that we are all made for glory, we love glory.  We find our deepest happiness on earth in giving glory to God. We are at our happiest when we give praise to God, not only in words, but in our actions.  We decided to offer the third Glorious Mystery, the Descent of the Holy Spirit, first of all, for the teachers of the faith, not only for the bishops and priests and theologians, but also for parents, for secondary teachers and primary teachers and for all who share the task of handing on the faith.

As we reflected more and more on this task we saw that there is a huge army of people involved, not just teachers but Boards of Governors and Boards of Management and youth workers  Not only that, there are choirs, servers, sacristans, stewards, readers, collectors, Eucharistic ministers, leaders of prayer groups.

We thought of other people who are building up God’s Kingdom, the Apostolic Workers, the St Joseph’s Young Priests’ Society, Cursillo, the Legion of Mary, St Vincent de Paul, the Pioneer Association, the list goes on and on.  The people who organise pilgrimages, the people who organise prayer sessions, the people who offer preparation for marriage as part of the Catholic marriage care service, Accord.  The list is endless.

They are the people whom the Spirit has equipped with gifts to help the Church to become the Body of Christ.  And my prayer, especially for all those this evening, is that the way we behave and act will be like a light amidst darkness.

We pray especially that we may not hinder others from having a perfect view of Christ and His Church by bad example or the lack of justice and charity in our own lives.

Some will ask, where are we going to get the resources to carry out this aim?  I believe the resources are there, and there in abundance.
Resources, for example, of time and talent and experience, experience of young and old.  It is a question of going once more to the huge treasure-house of God’s holy people and of drawing forth from the treasures, both old and new.

I am thinking of the treasure-house of prayer and sacrifice, especially the sacrifice of suffering.  But it is all a question of willingness to share what is being called for with others.  Here we must rely on the greatest gift of all, the gift of love, the gift that will last forever.  And here it is a case of really getting to know Jesus, who said, “There is no greater love than this - that a man should lay down his life for his friends.”  He, and He alone, gave His all for us.  He, and He alone, can inspire and enable us to do likewise.

Jesus said:
“Behold, I am with you always even to the end of time”.

Then He kept his promise and sent the Paraclete – the Second Advocate – the Counsellor – to make sure, in fact, that He could be with us always.  The Spirit reminds us of what Jesus said and did.  So, all our pastoral plans – and diocesan aims and our deliberations – will come to nothing without the help of the Holy Spirit.  No-one can confess “Jesus is Lord” without the Holy Spirit!

Hence we must ever and always, implore the help of the Holy Spirit.
But there is another thing we must do.  We must remember what the Risen Jesus told His disciples, namely,  “Wait for the gift I told you about. John baptised with water but in a few days you will be baptised with the Spirit”.

So they waited but they waited with purpose.  They gathered frequently to pray as a group, together with the women – and with Mary, the Mother of Jesus.  So this evening then, we entrust all our diocesan aims and pastoral plans and pastoral areas and pastoral resource teams to the care of Mary, the Mother of the Good Shepherd – the Mother of the Pastor Supreme.

Pray for us O holy Mother of God
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

ENDS

Notes for Editors

• This evening's Mass marks the launch of the new Parish Area Resource Teams and the new Diocesan Council for the Archdiocese of Armagh.  The new pastoral structures for the diocese will be guided by the Diocesan Pastoral Council Constitution which is to be launched by Cardinal Brady.   The launch marks the fruits of 'Strengthening Parishes for the 21st Century' initiative that was launched on 3 November 2008.

• Attending the launch: Cardinal Seán Brady, Bishop Gerard Clifford, priests of the Archdiocese of Armagh, members of the new Parish Area Resource Teams and members of the new Diocesan Pastoral Council for the Archdiocese of Armagh.

• The ceremony will begin with a reflection on the newly created diocesan aim: "As a diocese, we aim to be the body of Christ with the help of the Holy Spirit so that we can live like Jesus in our time and place sharing his compassionate love with all."

• Background to the launch: Today's pastoral launch is a celebration for the people of the diocese. At Masses throughout the diocese on the last weekend of May the people were invited to join this diocesan celebration this evening.  Many people in the diocese – especially young people - have contributed to the formation of the diocesan aim which emphasises the importance of living like Jesus in our time and place.  Prayer cards highlighting the diocesan aim will be available for distribution to people throughout the diocese.

• Eight Commissions of the new Diocesan Pastoral Council: In the second part of the ceremony, Cardinal Brady will launch the constitution of the new Diocesan Pastoral Council.   The new Council will have representatives from the newly formed pastoral areas in the diocese as well as representatives of the religious and the various Church-based organisations in the diocese.  A new element to the Diocesan Pastoral Council is the eight commissions that will be at the forefront of the ministry of the Diocesan Pastoral Council.  The eight commissions:

-Liturgy
-Faith formation and training
-Mission and ecumenism
-Justice, peace and development
-Youth
-Care for priests
-Christian vocation
-Prayer and spirituality
Each of the commissions, while having its own particular focus, will bring a family perspective and a concern for safeguarding children to their work.

• Eighteen new Pastoral Area Resource Teams for the diocese: The highlight of the ceremony will be the commissioning of the eighteen new pastoral area resource teams.  The resource teams are made up of five people from each of the parishes in the pastoral areas.  The pastoral area resource team will be guided and led by the Vicar Forane so as to help to strengthen each of the parishes in two ways:

i. By ensuring the effective sharing of the collective gifts and talents of the parishes in the pastoral area; and, ii. By identifying pastoral matters that together can be more effectively undertaken as a pastoral area rather than separately as individual parishes.

• Special celebratory image for the launch is available from Catholic Communications Office 00353 01 505 3013

• The formation of the new Diocesan Pastoral Council marks the closing of the previous Diocesan Pastoral Council established by the late Cardinal Cahal Daly and which held its final gathering in September 2009.  It also brings to a close the Co-ordinating Group of the Pastoral Plan which will hold its last meeting on 24 June 2010.

• The web-link below connects to the address by Cardinal Brady on 3 November 2008 at the launch of the Diocesan Pastoral Plan for the Archdiocese of Armagh entitled Strengthening Parishes in the 21st Century. The objective of the plan is to sustain parishes as vibrant faith communities into the future. The launch was supported by a Pastoral Letter detailing this initiative and the faithful were invited to contribute to the process and were regularly consulted concerning its development: http://www.archdioceseofarmagh.org/cardinal/statements-and-addresses/50-2008/601-3-november-strengthening-parishes-in-the-21st-century-press-launch-in-the-synod-hall-armagh-address-by-cardinal-brady

• Members of the diocesan council consist of the following: Archbishop of Armagh (President), Auxiliary Bishop, the Vicars General, Chairman of the Senate of Priests, Chairpersons of the Diocesan Pastoral Council Commissions, Directors of the Office of Pastoral Renewal and Family Ministry, Chairperson of the Diocesan Pastoral Council as elected by the Council, Youth Director, Child Safeguarding Director, 2 members from each pastoral area nominated by the pastoral area resource teams, 2 priests nominated by the Senate of Priests, 3 full time pastoral workers nominated from their own cohort, 6 religious nominated from within their own members, 6 members nominated by the Youth Commission, 2 members nominated by the New Ecclesial Movements, 10 representatives drawn from active diocesan groups as nominated by the Archbishop and Diocesan Secretary.

Further information:
Martin Long, Director of Communications 00353 (0) 86 172 7678 Fr Andrew McNally, Co-director of the Pastoral Plan, Archdiocese of Armagh 00 353 42 933 6649 Dr Tony Hanna, Co-director of the Pastoral Plan, Archdiocese of Armagh, 00353 (0) 87 6155619

PRESS RELEASE
6 June 2010
Eucharistic Congress Committee launches pastoral programme and second national collection in conjunction with the feast of Corpus Christi today
Today Sunday 6 June, the feast of Corpus Christi, the 50th International EucharisticCongress Committee launches a pastoral programme to assist people in the journey of preparation ahead of the next Eucharistic Congress which takes place in Ireland in June 2012. The second national collection to support the preparation and hosting of the Congress will also take place at Masses today throughout Ireland's 26 dioceses.

The Bishops of Ireland are very grateful to all who contributed so generously to last year's collection and to those who have already given so much time and energy to the preparatory work for the Congress.

In 2008 Pope Benedict XVI announced that the 50th International Eucharistic Congress will be hosted in Ireland in 2012 and the theme of the Congress is: Communion with Christ and with one another. Over the course of the next two years (2010-2012) this theme will be explored in four distinct stages of preparation.  Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin and President of the Congress, established the Eucharistic Congress planning committee to oversee the logistical and pastoral preparations for the Congress, such as:

i) preparation of a range of pastoral and catechetical materials for use by the faithful over the next two years to journey towards an encounter with Christ to enable a rediscovery and a renewal of our communion with Him and with one another. These materials assist people to prepare for the celebration of Corpus Christi;
ii) involving volunteers from each of the 26 dioceses of Ireland in the process of preparation for the 2012 celebration;
iii) welcoming participation by anyone who shares our faith in Jesus to support the Eucharistic Congress in a practical way by, for example, contributing suggestions for short reflections, prayers, poetry and extracts from literature relating to the Eucharist, communion and community. These resources will be compiled into a booklet and/or online resource. Suggestions can be sent to: Eucharistic Congress Office, Holy Cross Diocesan Centre, Dublin 3, or email info@iec2012.ie.

Archbishop Martin said "It is almost two years now since Pope Benedict XVI announced that the 50th International Eucharistic Congress would take place in Ireland in 2012. The main events of the Congress will take place in Dublin, but I hope that the preparation for the Congress and its fruitfulness will touch every diocese and every parish community in Ireland."

The Congress will take place from 10 to 17 June 2012 and the main events of the Congress will take place in the RDS and Croke Park. Opportunities to become involved will be detailed in and a volunteer programme to be launched later this year.

ENDS

Notes for Editors

- A dedicated website www.iec2012.ie has been established for the 50th Eucharistic Congress in Ireland in 2012.  www.iec2012.ie is updated periodically with materials for use by parishes and with information to enable participation in the Congress.  A special web feature on the Eucharistic Congress is also now available on www.catholicbishops.ie.

- The first international Eucharistic Congress was held in France in 1881 and, since then, the tradition has developed of holding a congress every four years in a different country. The Eucharistic Congress has a number of objectives, including:
• Deepening understanding of and devotion to the Eucharist;
• Strengthening the relationship of solidarity between Catholics who come together from all over the world; and,
• Emphasising the link between the Eucharist - which is Christ's gift of Himself - and action for justice, which involves the gift of self for others.

- On 22 June 2008 Pope Benedict XVI announced that Ireland will host the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in 2012.  Pope Benedict's announcement was broadcast by live television link from Rome as part of his homily during the final Mass of the 49th International Eucharistic Congress, the final event in a week-long Church celebration in Quebec city.  Up to 30,000 pilgrims attended the 2008 Eucharistic Congress in Quebec.  Previous Eucharistic Congresses were often linked with anniversaries or other events special to Catholics of the country in which they took place. The 1932 Congress in Dublin, for example, marked the 1,500th anniversary of St Patrick's ministry in Ireland. Significantly 2012 will be the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Second Vatican Council which was an important moment in the engagement of the Church with the modern world.

- Today Sunday 6 June 2010 is the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, a feast traditionally known as Corpus Christi.  The origins of the feast are in Liège in Belgium when at the urging of an Augustinian nun, Juliana about the lack of a feast of the Eucharist in the calendar, her spiritual adviser, Bishop Robert introduced the feast into his diocese in 1246.  It was extended to the entire Church eighteen years later.  The feast is kept on this Sunday after Trinity Sunday though several countries still retain the date of last Thursday.  Ireland has observed the Sunday date since 1997.  It offers us the opportunity to express our gratitude for the gift of the Eucharist.  Using the words of the prayers at Mass, words attributed to St Thomas Aquinas, we express our gratitude for the Eucharist as the memorial of the suffering and death of our Lord Jesus Christ.  As we offer bread and wine, we pray that the Body and Blood of Christ may bring to the Church the unity and peace they signify.  We acknowledge that the Lord gives us His Body and Blood in the Eucharist as a sign that even now we share His life.  Our prayer is that we will come to possess it completely in the kingdom where the Lord lives for ever and ever.  Celebrating the feast of Corpus Christi is a reminder that every Sunday we have the opportunity to celebrate the work of our redemption accomplished in the death and resurrection of the Lord, who sits at the right hand of the Father interceding for us.
Further information please contact:
Fr Kevin Doran General Secretary, 50th International Eucharistic Congress 2012 on 00 353 87 2447358
Anne Griffin, Programme Manager, 50th International Eucharistic Congress 2012 on 00 353 87 2449985
Martin Long, Catholic Communications Office on 00 353 86 1727678

PRESS RELEASE
4 June 2010
Address of Archbishop Diarmuid Martin to the to Oxford University Newman Society Check against delivery

“There are many young people who are struggling to find a reason to remain in the Church”
The title that I have chosen for my reflections this evening – There are many young people who are struggling to find a reason to remain in the Church – may seem slightly puzzling to some of you.  Let me explain its origin.  It is a line taken from the comment of the Parish Pastoral Council of one Dublin parish sent to me in the light of the publication of the Murphy Report into the sexual abuse of children by priests within the Archdiocese of Dublin.

The Murphy Report was a very significant examination of how allegations of sexual abuse by priests were managed by Church and State authorities in Ireland.  The Report was the fruit of a Government instituted Commission which was established to examine a representative sample of how abuse cases were managed in the period of time between 1975 and 2004.

The findings of the Murphy Report were disastrous.  Certainly much of what was dealt with took place in different times and in a different culture.   Medical science and juridical reflection may have underestimated the damage done to children who were sexually abused. But what the Murphy Report narrated was nonetheless catastrophic.   I have repeated on numerous occasions that for me the only honest reaction of the Church to that Report was to publicly admit that the manner in which that catastrophe was addressed was spectacularly wrong; spectacularly wrong “full stop”; not spectacularly wrong, “but…”   You cannot sound-byte your way out of a catastrophe.

The cultural situation was different; abuse takes place in many other sectors of society.  This is all true.  But it cannot be used as an excuse to down-play the gravity of what took place in the Church of Christ.  The Church is different; the Church is a place where children should be the subject of special protection and care.  The Gospel presents children in a special light and reserves some of its most severe language for those who disregard or scandalise children in any way.

It is hard to understand why, in the management by Church authorities of cases of the sexual abuse of children, the children themselves were for many years rarely even taken into the equation.  Yes, in the culture of the day children were to be seen and not heard, but different from other professions Church leaders should have been more aware of the Gospel imperative to avoid harm to children, whose innocence was indicated by the Lord a sign of the kingdom of God.  Where innocent children are failed, the Kingdom of God and the message of Jesus Christ have been distorted.

It is not my intention this evening to enter deeply into the question of the management and cover-up of the problem of sexual abuse by priests.  It is a question which has influenced me deeply over the six years in which I have been Archbishop of Dublin.  I have dedicated a great deal of time to the question and I do not regret that.  I have met with and listened to survivors; I have been often so angry when I witness the horrendous damage that was done to people’s lives.  I have worked to ensure that we have sound child safeguarding procedures in all our parishes.  I have cooperated in three investigations and am now engaged with two others.   I often feel that he Archdiocese of Dublin will turn out to be the most investigated diocese in the world:  It has dealt with the Murphy Commission – for which I submitted almost 70,000 documents; it has dealt with  two large scale police investigations, one currently on-going; it has responded to a detailed audit by the State’s Health Service Executive.  The Church’s National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland is due to conduct a further audit and an Apostolic Visitation of the Diocese have been announced for the coming months.

The Church must recognise the failings and cover ups of the past but it cannot be imprisoned in its past.  That is the challenging dilemma which I have to face as Pastor of a diocese of about 1,200,000 Catholics, by far the largest diocese in these islands.

The Catholic Church in Ireland is coming out of one of the most difficult moments in its history yet the light at the end of the tunnel is still a long way off.  The Catholic Church in Ireland will have to live with the grief of its past, which cannot and should never be forgotten or overlooked.  There is no simple way of wiping the slate of the past clean, just to ease our feelings.  Yet the Catholic Church in Ireland cannot be imprisoned in its past.  The work of evangelization must if anything takes on a totally new vibrancy.  

I would not however like what I say about moving onwards to be in any way interpreted as turning my back on the survivors of sexual abuse. They had their childhood stolen and the words of Jesus about his special care for children will apply to them until that day, whenever and if ever that will be, when the hurt of their stolen childhood will be healed.   In my years as Archbishop I have learned enormously from survivors as they allowed me to know something of their pain and of their hopes and also of the spiritual void which many experience as a result of betrayal by their Church.   I use the term spiritual void because it is an expression which some survivors have used to express how they feel in their lives.  In my encounters with survivors, however, I have found their spiritual fragility somehow has given them in a deep spiritual strength, from which I have profited.  For that I thank them.

I have begun my reflections by looking at some aspects of the effects of the abuse scandal within the Archdiocese of Dublin.  I do so to situate the context in which young people in Ireland today engage with their faith and with their Church.  

There are indeed many young people in our parishes who are struggling to find a reason to remain in the Church.  There are many more who have long since made their decision not to remain.   There are those for whom the Church is totally off their radar screen.   

This is not just the common situation in which the young people of each generation question or even reject the Church at a particular moment in their personal development. I believe that the crisis today goes much deeper.  For many young people who were already doubting their faith, the abuse scandal was just the ultimate confirmation that they had been looking for of the fact that the Catholic Church in its current expression is for them much more than a wounded organization, but a failed organization if not indeed a hypocritical organization.   Parents who go to Church tell me that the have to listen to the comments of their children regarding why they keep going “to those people”.  This is very frustrating for parents who themselves may be still hanging in there by what a seventy year old wrote to me this morning “the fingernails of faith”.

There is no way then that we can underplay the effect that the abuse scandals have had on young people.  But it must be said very clearly that the crisis of belief among young people has far deeper roots and roots which were there well before the abuse scandal.

I visit parishes where I encounter no young people.  I enquire what is being done to attract young people to parish life and the answers are vague.  Everyone knows that there is a missing generation in our Church attendance and perhaps more than one, yet there are very few strong pastoral initiatives to reach out to young people.   Parishes offer very little outreach to young people and I feel that an increasing number of young people find parishes a little like alien territory.  

There are structural and cultural factors which are unique to the Irish Church which have contributed to this alienation of our young people.  The Irish Church has traditionally stressed the central role of Catholic schools.  In the nineteenth century, after Catholic Emancipation, the Irish Church was determined that it would have an education system not just open to Catholics, as had hitherto not being the case, but which gave the strongest possible guarantee of being truly Catholic.  

The only Irish bishop who took a strong strand in favour of Catholic participation in the initial National School system or in the Queens University system was the Archbishop of Dublin, Daniel Murray.  His successor in Dublin, the first Irish Cardinal, Paul Cullen, on the other hand strongly supported the idea of specifically Catholic education in schools and universities and definitively won the Holy See’s support for his views.   

It was Cullen who invited Newman to come to Dublin to establish the Catholic University of Ireland.  There is a fascinating temptation for me to ask the “What if” question: what if the model of Archbishop Murray had been followed with Catholic children attending public schools and secular universities? Might the faith in Ireland have been stronger and less parochial?

Newman’s University, in fact, was not a great success; its degrees were not recognised and apart from the medical school failed to attract public interest.   I have to be careful not to make many critical comments about the effectiveness of Newman’s University, not just because I am addressing a Newman Society, but because I am actually the current Rector of the Catholic University of Ireland which still exists in law.  It exists in law but it has little more than Trustees, a Rector and a beautiful University Church designed in great part under the direct influence of Newman.  I will come back to that Church later.

The particular religious history of Ireland led to great emphasis being placed on the school as the principal vehicle for religious education.  The school in Ireland then became a rather authoritarian school system, with Victorianism, Jansenism and older Irish penitential spirituality combining.  Questioning was not encouraged.  Questions of faith were to be accepted in obedience.   It was presumed that all students in Catholic schools were believers and that they would make the First Communion and Confirmation when they reached the appropriate class.  In my younger days parents were not even allowed to be in the Church for Confirmation. In more recent years, due to the drop in the number of priests and the increase of their work load, the link between sacramental preparation and school deepened and the link between sacramental preparation and parish diminished.

A form of religious education which is separated from the parish or some other non-school faith community will almost inevitably cave in the day that school ends. Sacramental formation belongs within the Christian community which welcomes and supports each of us on our journey.   We need a more demanding catechesis, within a parish framework, for those who wish to come forward for admission to the sacraments.   Admission to the sacraments is not something which is automatically acquired when one reaches a certain class in school.  I have just begun a long term pastoral project in the Archdiocese of Dublin to find new solutions to this challenge.

The curious demography and history of the Irish Church meant also that the Church developed and pioneered all sorts of valuable services within the community.   This was often done at no expense to the State.  As Irish society became wealthier, it was rightfully claimed that such services deserved appropriate support from public authorities because of the social benefit they provided.  

This resulted in two consequences.  Today to many who have no understanding of the historical roots of this situation it can easily appear that the Church uses its role in social services because it wanted to and still wants to maintain dominating control of many aspects of society.  This is another source of alienation for young people.  Secondly as the years went on and salaries were paid by the State, many of these Church services lost something of the Christian concept of gratuitousness and became little different to any other professional service.   A Church which looses that sense of gratuitousness looses something of the essential dimensions of its witness to Jesus.  I believe that it is no coincidence that the consistent generosity people show towards the Saint Vincent de Paul Society comes precisely because of the gratuity of its witness

A further problem emerged as the Catholic Church in Ireland, which was provider of many services, began to be blamed as responsible or co-responsible for the defects of these services.  The situation emerged in which rather than being an uncompromising witness to the values of the Gospel, Church-run institutions became embroiled in all sorts of disputes which were not really matters for the Church.  Again in this context the Church, even in those areas where the it was seeking to provide care and support to the poor, appeared to many young people, as a Church seeking power.

The Church will continue to provide services for the poor and recognises the need for professionalism in its services.  Hopefully the Church has learned the lesson that it should not allow itself to be involved in providing poor quality services for the poor.   When Church services become simply ancillary to State then they run the risk of loosing their ecclesial originality and will one day end up being incorporated into the public service structure and subordinated to its goals.  Already the structures of some Catholic services are being altered to respond to financial policies of the State.

The Catholic Church in Ireland has to adapt itself to the changing society within which it lives.  My reflections this afternoon are principally about the Catholic Church in Ireland.  I am not an expert in nor would I presume to talk much less to lecture to the Church here in the United Kingdom.  For that I have neither the mandate nor the competence.   The pastoral situation in Ireland is quite different to that in the United Kingdom.

The Catholic Church in Ireland has to adapt itself to the changing society within which it lives.  One non-Catholic observer, speaking at a recent meeting of the Dublin Council of Churches, noted that all of our Churches were today “wearing the wrong clothes”, clothes that were measured in times when we were all a lot fatter and when styles were very different.  In the future the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland will have to find its place in a very different, much more secularised culture, at times even in a hostile culture. The Catholic Church has to look again at the dominant role it assumed in Irish society, while at the same time not renouncing its prophetic role in society and in the formation of consciences through opening to the teaching of Jesus Christ.   

This will involve a much greater degree of parish-based catechesis and evangelisation within our parishes.   Our parishes are changing.  In Dublin we are now preparing a third cohort of lay pastoral workers who have brought new charisms and dynamism in to the ministry of our parishes.  It has not been easy.  Parishes are often not yet ready and willing to face the radical nature of the change that is inevitable.  The introduction of full time lay parish pastoral workers has had a number of important effects.   The clearly lay character of the mission of these Parish Pastoral Workers has opened up new possibilities of encounter and welcome to enhance lay charisms both directly within the Church and in the presence of lay Christians in the world in which they work. Their presence challenges any remnants of a culture of clericalism. Lay pastoral workers have found ways of involving more lay people in Church activities and above all in formation in theology and spirituality. Lay pastoral workers are called not to bring volunteerism to an end, but rather to enhance the participation of lat people in the life of the Church.  Parishes must become real centre of on-going faith formation.  

Renewal in the Church requires more involvement of lay people.  Involvement requires also formation and not just structural changes.  Looking at the Churches, especially the Orthodox Churches, which have a long tradition of synodality one sees that synodality is lived out within deep theological, ecclesiological and historical roots.  The tradition of synodality has not been as strong in the Western Church, yet it is quite developed in the current Code of Canon Law.  However for synodality to function at the service of evangelization it requires a deep ecclesiological sense.  Synods are not parliaments; synods are not talking shops.  

Stressing renewal of the sacramental and spiritual dimensions of the Church does not mean that the Church intends to retreat into the sacristy. The Irish Church may once have dominated social reflection.  Those days are gone and the Church must recognise that the weight of its voice in a much more secular society has changed.  To return to my friend’s analogy, the Church must change its clothes, not just as cosmetic change or to look more fashionable, but to have clothes which make us more agile for the task that is ours.  

There are as I have said certain structural challenges in the Irish Church which must be faced, some of which are unique to Ireland and its social and religious history.  But the challenge of helping you people to remain active members of the Church is not simply a structural one.  It is much more about the quality of the faith of young people and the very manifestation of the Church itself. I am struck by the comments I had quoted earlier from parents whose children ask them why they are still going “to those people”.  The alienation of young people is not with the message of Jesus but with “those people” – which means me – which means the current structures and culture of those with responsibility within the Church. Their alienation with the Church is not that “Mass is boring” which we have all felt at some stage or other.  It is that young people fail to find in their experience of Church the experience of a lived and living Gospel community.  New evangelization will only take place within a Church which is purified and renewed.  There will be no renewal without purification and purification is never a half measure.  

Young people today are as idealistic and generous as any generation of young people if not even more so.  The Church in Ireland has failed to capture that generosity and idealism as the foundation for building up a renewed Church.  The generosity and idealism of young people hesitates in the face of remnants of a culture of authoritarianism in the Church.  Such authoritarianism was inappropriate even in the past.   It is especially alien to the culture of young people. There is no way in which faith can be imposed.  Young people need to be led into the fundamental question about God, within a culture where there are many other very attractive gods with which young people encounter day by day.  

One can only be led into the question of God through a process of dialogue and reflection.  To face the question about God, young people have first of all to ask the question about God, to be aware that this is a question which does not just belong to the pre-scientific past past, but needs to be addressed today and in the concrete today of our lives.  They need to see that such dialogue between faith and science, faith and culture are not just taking place here and there but are characteristic of the culture of the Church today at all levels.

There is no way in which the process of engaging with the question about God can be developed on the basis of simple dogmatic imposition.  The process is a much more difficult one where we are all called to be witnesses which attract others to the message of the Risen Lord.   Dialogue between faith and science, faith and culture can only take place outside the framework of ideological pre-conditions and in terms of real honesty and integrity.

The question about God is a fundamental question within our modern Western societies and addressing it is vital if we wish to find ways of rooting the values which should underlie our interaction as individuals and as society.   

But young people need to be initiated into the search for God in another manner, through encountering the God who is revealed in Jesus Christ.  They have to be led to encounter Jesus Christ as a person with whom they can enter into a relationship and who will lead them to understand that God is not just an ultimate cause, but that God is love. The Catholic Church in Ireland needs new form of evangelization which involves strong scriptural renewal.  I have had 250,000 copies of the Gospel of Saint Luke printed this year and distributed in our parishes.  I hope that this will be one contribution to such a biblical renewal.  Each month a group of biblical and pastoral scholars prepare an “e-good news letter” helping priests and people to know how to use and interpret the scriptural texts that will be found in the liturgy in the month ahead.   We have interactive link ups between parish scripture and lectio divina groups.  

I am happy that we are finding good use for new communications technology to reach out to young people.  We need a new dynamic of catechesis which meets people where they are and leads them into the mysterious presence of God in their lives.

Let me come back to Newman's Church.   I do not know if any of you may ever visited Newman’s University Church.  Walking along Saint Stephen’s Green in the heart of Dublin you would hardly notice that there was a Church there. There is a small porch with a cross on it.  If you enter into a porch you find yourself in a long, nondescript corridor which gives little indication where it might be leading.  Then you suddenly enter a quite unique Church, of great beauty and mystery, quite unlike other Churches built in its time, very much Newman’s Church.

I often link that experience of entering Newman’s Church with the challenge of evangelization.  The task of evangelization is to challenge these who walk our cities to stop and be curious about this small signs of God’s presence which are all around us but which so often we chose to ignore.  We need to stimulate the curiosity of those who walk directionless or just going about day to day activities.  But we have to realise that such curiosity will not provide immediate results. There is still, for all of us, the long, nondescript corridor which gives you no indication of what you might expect if you journey onwards.  This is the challenge and the risk of faith   But through perseverance and especially through the helping hand of other people of faith we can be led to enter into the surprising, into a presence of God which brings us way beyond the sphere of normal human imagination.

Experiencing the beauty of faith is not something that will happen to us every day.  There is no way however we can expect young people to remain in the Church if we do not at least attempt to open up that experience for them or at least glimpses of it which can enlighten and encourage them in the ups and downs of their life within their culture and the characteristics of their generation.

As a Bishop there are many reasons for me to be disillusioned and discouraged.  Yet there are many reasons for being optimistic and hopeful and indeed for being motivated myself to work with others who wish to make that journey from living in the pure day-by-day to finding beauty and love in an encounter with Jesus Christ.

There are many reasons why young people would not remain within the Church.  There are many reasons why they should remain, should feel a part of the Church and should enrich the Church with the charisms that they have received.

We all have reasons to be discouraged and to be angry.  There is a sense, however, in which true reform of the Church will spring only from those who love the Church, with a love like that of Jesus which is prepared also to suffer for the Church and to give oneself for the Church.

Thank God there are many who love their Church: lay persons, religious and clergy.    We love the Church because the Church is our home, the pace where we encounter the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ and where we gather in love to break bread in his memory.

ENDS

Further information:
Communications Office 01 8360723, email communications@dublindiocese.ie, web www.dublindiocese.ie

PRESS RELEASE 4 June 2010 Statement by Cardinal Seán Brady on the loss of life and human suffering in Gaza Cardinal Seán Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of all Ireland has issued the following statement concerning the loss of life and human suffering in Gaza:

"On a visit to Gaza two years ago I saw first hand the need for humanitarian aid because of the Israeli blockade imposed there three years ago this month. This blockade means that people in Gaza cannot easily leave to visit family, to get medical treatment, to study or to work. They also cannot get enough food, electricity, medical supplies and other basic essentials into Gaza where 1.5 million people are trapped on a strip of land 25 miles long and 6 miles wide. I vividly remember the long queues at shops with very little food, the cars at the side of the roads without fuel, the homes and school without power, the bombed out buildings which lined the roads.  I was deeply moved by what can only be described as a dire and unnecessary situation of human deprivation and need.

"Yet, in the midst of all of this I was struck by the resilience and dignity of the people I met.  Seventy per cent of the people in Gaza struggle to survive on less than one dollar a day.  The Church’s development agency, Trócaire, has been working with Israelis and Palestinians to alleviate the suffering of the people of Gaza and to ensure that the human rights of every person in the region, whatever their background or identity, are respected and upheld.

"I deeply regret the loss of life and injury resulting from Israel’s military take-over in international waters of the flotilla of humanitarian aid to Gaza this week.  Such loss of life is tragic and the violence associated with these events is reprehensible.  I pray for the families and loved ones of those who were killed and for all those hurt or injured.  It is clear that it is now time to lift the blockade on Gaza.  The international community has to act to ensure that all parties in the region operate within international laws and conventions.

"Real change is required in the Middle East to allow a just and lasting peace for all.  The international community has a responsibility to secure that brighter future. I ask for prayers this coming weekend for the people of Gaza and Israel to conclude this World Week for Peace in the Holy Land ".

ENDS

Further information:
Martin Long, Director of Communications 086 172 7678
Brenda Drumm, Communications Officer, 087 310 4444

PRESS RELEASE 1 June 2010 Launch of new parish area resource teams, diocesan council and pastoral constitution for the Archdiocese of Armagh

You, or a representative, are invited to the launch of the new Parish Area Resource Teams and the new Diocesan Council for the Archdiocese of Armagh.  The new pastoral structures for the diocese will be guided by the Diocesan Pastoral Council Constitution which is to be launched by Cardinal Brady.   The launch marks the fruits of Strengthening Parishes for the 21st Century initiative that was launched on 3 November 2008.   Details:

In attendance: Cardinal Seán Brady, Bishop Gerard Clifford, priests of the Archdiocese of Armagh, members of the new Parish Area Resource Teams and members of the new Diocesan Pastoral Council for the Archdiocese of Armagh Venue: St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh Date: Tuesday 8 June 2010 Time: 7.30pm - 9.00pm.  Refreshments will be served after the ceremony in the Synod Hall

The ceremony will begin with a reflection on the newly created diocesan aim:

As a diocese, we aim to be the body of Christ with the help of the Holy Spirit so that we can live like Jesus in our time and place sharing his compassionate love with all. Looking forward to the launch, Cardinal Seán Brady referred to his speech of 3 November 2008 saying "The Archdiocese of Armagh is a communion of faith communities, which are committed to each other. As we embark on this process of renewing our structures we will rely on this spirituality of communion among all of us to strengthen our parishes as vibrant faith communities in this 21st century." Cardinal Brady continued "The emergence of these new realities for the diocese is the fruit of many years planning and hard work and it has involved huge consultation with all of the faithful. The new structures bear testimony to the resilience of the Church and to the commitment of the faithful as they look for new ways to continue the work of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit in our time and place. "Much of this work has taken place against the background of huge turmoil and strife within the Church as it confronts the painful repercussions of the recent scandals. The involvement of hundreds of people - mostly lay - in these new diocesan structures is a wonderful sign of hope and encouragement at this time.  May God bless our work." Background to the launch A celebration for the people of the diocese At Masses throughout the diocese on the last weekend of May the people of the diocese were invited to join this diocesan celebration on 8 June next.  Many people throughout the diocese – especially young people - have contributed to the formation of the diocesan aim which emphasises the importance of living like Jesus in our time and place.  Prayer cards highlighting the diocesan aim will be available for distribution to people throughout the diocese. Eight Commissions of the new Diocesan Pastoral Council In the second part of the ceremony, Cardinal Brady will launch the constitution of the new Diocesan Pastoral Council.   The new Council will have representatives from the newly formed pastoral areas in the diocese as well as representatives of the religious and the various Church-based organisations in the diocese.  A new element to the Diocesan Pastoral Council is the eight commissions that will be at the forefront of the ministry of the Diocesan Pastoral Council.  The eight commissions:

• Liturgy
• Faith formation and training
• Mission and ecumenism
• Justice, peace and development
• Youth
• Care for priests
• Christian vocation
• Prayer and spirituality

Each of the commissions, while having its own particular focus, will bring a family perspective and a concern for safeguarding children to their work.
Eighteen new Pastoral Area Resource Teams for the diocese The highlight of the ceremony will be the commissioning of the eighteen new pastoral area resource teams.  The resource teams are made up of five people from each of the parishes in the pastoral areas.  The pastoral area resource team will be guided and led by the Vicar Forane so as to help to strengthen each of the parishes in two ways: i. By ensuring the effective sharing of the collective gifts and talents of the parishes in the pastoral area; and, ii. By identifying pastoral matters that together can be more effectively undertaken as a pastoral area rather than separately as individual parishes.

Notes for Editors

• Special celebratory image for the launch is available from Catholic Communications Office 00353 01 505 3013
• The formation of the new Diocesan Pastoral Council marks the closing of the previous Diocesan Pastoral Council established by the late Cardinal Cahal Daly and which held its final gathering in September 2009.  It also brings to a close the Co-ordinating Group of the Pastoral Plan which will hold its last meeting on 24 June 2010.
• The web-link below connects to the address by Cardinal Brady on 3 November 2008 at the launch of the Diocesan Pastoral Plan for the Archdiocese of Armagh entitled Strengthening Parishes in the 21st Century. The objective of the plan is to sustain parishes as vibrant faith communities into the future. The launch was supported by a Pastoral Letter detailing this initiative and the faithful were invited to contribute to the process and were regularly consulted concerning its development: http://www.archdioceseofarmagh.org/cardinal/statements-and-addresses/50-2008/601-3-november-strengthening-parishes-in-the-21st-century-press-launch-in-the-synod-hall-armagh-address-by-cardinal-brady
• Members of the diocesan council consist of the following: Archbishop of Armagh (President), Auxiliary Bishop, the Vicars General, Chairman of the Senate of Priests, Chairpersons of the Diocesan Pastoral Council Commissions, Directors of the Office of Pastoral Renewal and Family Ministry, Chairperson of the Diocesan Pastoral Council as elected by the Council, Youth Director, Child Safeguarding Director, 2 members from each pastoral area nominated by the pastoral area resource teams, 2 priests nominated by the Senate of Priests, 3 full time pastoral workers nominated from their own cohort, 6 religious nominated from within their own members, 6 members nominated by the Youth Commission, 2 members nominated by the New Ecclesial Movements, 10 representatives drawn from active diocesan groups as nominated by the Archbishop and Diocesan Secretary.

ENDS Further information: Martin Long, Director of Communications 00353 (0) 86 172 7678 Fr Andrew McNally, Co-director of the Pastoral Plan, Archdiocese of Armagh 00 353 42 933 6649
Dr Tony Hanna, Co-director of the Pastoral Plan, Archdiocese of Armagh 00353 (0) 87 6155619

PRESS RELEASE
1 June 2010
Bishop Willie Walsh welcomes new Deacon Bishop Willie Walsh today welcomed the ordination of a new deacon for service in the Diocese of Killaloe: "It is a sign of great joy and an expression of hope in the future as we welcome Ger Fitzgerald as the newest member of the clergy of our Diocese. Sunday was a day of tremendous celebration for the Fitzgerald family, the people of the parish of Castleconnell and the whole Diocese of Killaloe. Along with the ordination to Diaconate of Ger Jones from Bridgetown on Easter Monday we see wonderful signs of renewal for our Church in difficult times. I thank the generous spirit of Ger as he offers his life in the service of God's people. I pray God's blessing on him as he brings his studies for the priesthood to a conclusion and I look forward, with God's help, to welcoming him as a brother priest next year."

Ger Fitzgerald was ordained a deacon on Sunday last 30th May, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, in the College Chapel of St. Patrick's College Maynooth by Most Rev. Joseph Toal, Bishop of Argyll and the Isles in Scotland. Ger was one of eight new deacons ordained on the day. Five of the class were Irish, two from Scotland and one from South Africa.

Ger is a native of the parish of Castleconnell, Co. Limerick. Born to Patrick and Mary Fitzgerald on December 21st 1979, Ger is the youngest of two sons and has an older brother, Anthony. He attended Castleconnell National School and St. Mary's Convent, Newport Co. Tipperary where he did his leaving certificate in 1997. After school he worked in the Castle Oaks Hotel and for MBS, a stainless steel manufacturing company, in Dublin. He began his studies for the priesthood in 2005. After two years of Philosophy he took a Pastoral Theology course and course in Clinical Pastoral Education. He is currently completing his theological studies in Maynooth. Ger's interests are varied and include a great love of Georgian culture and architecture. He also enjoys music and is a keen sports fan, particularly following the exploits of Limerick Hurling and Football as well as being a longtime supporter of Manchester City F.C.

Speaking of his vocation Ger said, "My vocation story started at a very young age and was greatly influenced by family and friends and people in the parish of Castleconnell. I would say that I always wanted to be a priest but for one reason or another kept putting it off until 2004 when I decided to apply and after the initial process I began my formal training in 2005."

Notes to Editors:

• Ordination to Diaconate is the final step in preparation for ordination to the priesthood. The Deacon makes a commitment to celibacy and obedience becoming a member of the Clergy of a diocese. He can officiate at some of the sacraments of the Church, including Baptisms and witnessing to Marriages. He also commits to pray the Divine Office (Breviary) on behalf of the people of God.
• Ger is one of four students currently studying for the priesthood in the Diocese of Killaloe
• Pictures are available on request from the Catholic Communications Office - 087 310 4444

Further Information:
Fr. Brendan Quinlivan, Diocesan Communications Officer, 087-2736310                                                
Fr. Ignatius McCormack, Diocesan Vocations Director, 086-2777139

PRESS RELEASE
31 May 2010
Statement of the Standing Committee of the Irish Bishops' Conference in response to the announcement today of the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland We welcome the news today (see below) that the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland, announced by Pope Benedict XVI in his Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, will begin in  the autumn of this year.  An expression of the personal closeness of Pope Benedict XVI to the Catholics of Ireland, this Visitation represents one more important step on the path to healing, reparation and renewal in the Church in Ireland.  We pledge our full co-operation with all those involved and whose names were announced today.

The Apostolic Visitation will be an opportunity to further develop the work that is being undertaken in the Church in Ireland to address the needs of survivors of abuse, to build upon the strong procedures and guidelines for the safeguarding of children and to work for a renewal of faith.

The Apostolic Visitation is  also  an opportunity to reflect, evaluate and review certain aspects of life in the Church in Ireland at this time, mindful of Pope Benedict's words in his Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, "In solidarity with all of you, I am praying earnestly that, by God's grace, the wounds afflicting so many individuals and families may be healed and that the Church in Ireland may experience a season of rebirth and spiritual renewal."

We look forward to receiving further details of the precise terms of reference of the Apostolic Visitation in due course.

ENDS

Notes for Editors

• Please see below "Press release on the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland" published today by the Vatican.
• An Apostolic Visitation is a formal but personal process, initiated by the Holy See, to look into the welfare of a particular aspect of the Church.
• The motu proprio “Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela” (referred to in the statement below) was issued by Pope John Paul II in 2001. This document confirmed that the ancient church and moral law always held that the sexual abuse of a minor by a cleric was a “graviora delicta”, that is, “a most serious crime” in the eyes of the Church. The seriousness of the crime and the increasing number of reports of such crimes to the Holy See around that time, occasioned the up-dating of the internal canonical disciplinary procedures for such a serious crime to ensure consistency and uniformity in the management and prosecution of the crime of the sexual abuse of a minor by a cleric.

This document Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela requires that all such crimes be referred to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith by the Ordinary (Bishop or Religious Superior) for guidance about how best to conduct the internal canonical disciplinary procedures. In some cases, the Congregation may decide to deal with the case itself. The document does not prevent Bishops from following the local civil laws in reporting of allegations of sexual abuse of minors by cleric to the civil authorities nor co-operating with local statutory authorities in the investigation or prosecution of such crimes. Indeed, internal canonical disciplinary procedures are “suspended” so as not to undermine in any way police investigations and / or criminal trials in the civil courts.

• The following press release was published today by the Vatican concerning the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland

Following the Holy Father’s Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, the Apostolic Visitation of certain Irish dioceses, seminaries and religious congregations will begin in autumn of this year.

Through this Visitation, the Holy See intends to offer assistance to the Bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful as they seek to respond adequately to the situation caused by the tragic cases of abuse perpetrated by priests and religious upon minors.  It is also intended to contribute to the desired spiritual and moral renewal that is already being vigorously pursued by the Church in Ireland.

The Apostolic Visitors will set out to explore more deeply questions concerning the handling of cases of abuse and the assistance owed to the victims; they will monitor the effectiveness of and seek possible improvements to the current procedures for preventing abuse, taking as their points of reference the Pontifical Motu Proprio “Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela” and the norms contained in Safeguarding Children: Standards and Guidance Document for the Catholic Church in Ireland, commissioned and produced by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church.

The Visitation will begin in the four Metropolitan Archdioceses of Ireland (Armagh, Dublin, Cashel and Emly, and Tuam) and will then be extended to some other dioceses.

The Visitors named by the Holy Father for the dioceses are:  His Eminence Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Emeritus Archbishop of Westminster, for the Archdiocese of Armagh; His Eminence Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston, for the Archdiocese of Dublin; the Most Reverend Thomas Christopher Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, for the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly; the Most Reverend Terrence Thomas Prendergast, Archbishop of Ottawa, for the Archdiocese of Tuam.

In its desire to accompany the process of renewal of houses of formation for the future priests of the Church in Ireland, the Congregation for Catholic Education will coordinate the visitation of the Irish seminaries, including the Pontifical Irish College in Rome.  While special attention will be given to the matters that occasioned the Apostolic Visitation, in the case of the seminaries it will cover all aspects of priestly formation.  The Most Reverend Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, has been named Apostolic Visitor

For its part, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life will organize the visitation of religious houses in two phases.  Firstly it will conduct an enquiry by means of a questionnaire to be sent to all the Superiors of religious institutes present in Ireland, with a view to providing an accurate picture of the current situation and formulating plans for the observance and improvement of the norms contained in the “guidelines”.  In the second phase, the Apostolic Visitors will be: the Reverend Joseph Tobin, CSsR and the Reverend Gero McLaughlin SJ for institutes of men;  Sister Sharon Holland IHM and Sister Mairin McDonagh RJM for institutes of women.  They will carry out a careful study, evaluating the results obtained from the questionnaire and the possible steps to be taken in the future in order to usher in a season of spiritual rebirth for religious life on the Island.

His Holiness invites all the members of the Irish Catholic community to support this fraternal initiative with their prayers.  He invokes God’s blessings upon the Visitors, and upon all the Bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful of Ireland, that the Visitation may be for them an occasion of renewed fervour in the Christian life, and that it may deepen their faith and strengthen their hope in Christ our Saviour.

ENDS

Further information:
Martin Long, Director of Communications 086 172 7678
Brenda Drumm, Communications Officer 087 310 4444

PRESS RELEASE
31 May 2010
Statement of the Standing Committee of the Irish Bishops' Conference in response to the announcement today of the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland We welcome the news today (see below) that the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland, announced by Pope Benedict XVI in his Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, will begin in  the autumn of this year.  An expression of the personal closeness of Pope Benedict XVI to the Catholics of Ireland, this Visitation represents one more important step on the path to healing, reparation and renewal in the Church in Ireland.  We pledge our full co-operation with all those involved and whose names were announced today.

The Apostolic Visitation will be an opportunity to further develop the work that is being undertaken in the Church in Ireland to address the needs of survivors of abuse, to build upon the strong procedures and guidelines for the safeguarding of children and to work for a renewal of faith.

The Apostolic Visitation is  also  an opportunity to reflect, evaluate and review certain aspects of life in the Church in Ireland at this time, mindful of Pope Benedict's words in his Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, "In solidarity with all of you, I am praying earnestly that, by God's grace, the wounds afflicting so many individuals and families may be healed and that the Church in Ireland may experience a season of rebirth and spiritual renewal."

We look forward to receiving further details of the precise terms of reference of the Apostolic Visitation in due course.

ENDS

Notes for Editors

• Please see below "Press release on the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland" published today by the Vatican.
• An Apostolic Visitation is a formal but personal process, initiated by the Holy See, to look into the welfare of a particular aspect of the Church.
• The motu proprio “Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela” (referred to in the statement below) was issued by Pope John Paul II in 2001. This document confirmed that the ancient church and moral law always held that the sexual abuse of a minor by a cleric was a “graviora delicta”, that is, “a most serious crime” in the eyes of the Church. The seriousness of the crime and the increasing number of reports of such crimes to the Holy See around that time, occasioned the up-dating of the internal canonical disciplinary procedures for such a serious crime to ensure consistency and uniformity in the management and prosecution of the crime of the sexual abuse of a minor by a cleric.

This document Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela requires that all such crimes be referred to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith by the Ordinary (Bishop or Religious Superior) for guidance about how best to conduct the internal canonical disciplinary procedures. In some cases, the Congregation may decide to deal with the case itself. The document does not prevent Bishops from following the local civil laws in reporting of allegations of sexual abuse of minors by cleric to the civil authorities nor co-operating with local statutory authorities in the investigation or prosecution of such crimes. Indeed, internal canonical disciplinary procedures are “suspended” so as not to undermine in any way police investigations and / or criminal trials in the civil courts.

• The following press release was published today by the Vatican concerning the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland

Following the Holy Father’s Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, the Apostolic Visitation of certain Irish dioceses, seminaries and religious congregations will begin in autumn of this year.

Through this Visitation, the Holy See intends to offer assistance to the Bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful as they seek to respond adequately to the situation caused by the tragic cases of abuse perpetrated by priests and religious upon minors.  It is also intended to contribute to the desired spiritual and moral renewal that is already being vigorously pursued by the Church in Ireland.

The Apostolic Visitors will set out to explore more deeply questions concerning the handling of cases of abuse and the assistance owed to the victims; they will monitor the effectiveness of and seek possible improvements to the current procedures for preventing abuse, taking as their points of reference the Pontifical Motu Proprio “Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela” and the norms contained in Safeguarding Children: Standards and Guidance Document for the Catholic Church in Ireland, commissioned and produced by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church.

The Visitation will begin in the four Metropolitan Archdioceses of Ireland (Armagh, Dublin, Cashel and Emly, and Tuam) and will then be extended to some other dioceses.

The Visitors named by the Holy Father for the dioceses are:  His Eminence Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Emeritus Archbishop of Westminster, for the Archdiocese of Armagh; His Eminence Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston, for the Archdiocese of Dublin; the Most Reverend Thomas Christopher Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, for the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly; the Most Reverend Terrence Thomas Prendergast, Archbishop of Ottawa, for the Archdiocese of Tuam.

In its desire to accompany the process of renewal of houses of formation for the future priests of the Church in Ireland, the Congregation for Catholic Education will coordinate the visitation of the Irish seminaries, including the Pontifical Irish College in Rome.  While special attention will be given to the matters that occasioned the Apostolic Visitation, in the case of the seminaries it will cover all aspects of priestly formation.  The Most Reverend Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, has been named Apostolic Visitor

For its part, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life will organize the visitation of religious houses in two phases.  Firstly it will conduct an enquiry by means of a questionnaire to be sent to all the Superiors of religious institutes present in Ireland, with a view to providing an accurate picture of the current situation and formulating plans for the observance and improvement of the norms contained in the “guidelines”.  In the second phase, the Apostolic Visitors will be: the Reverend Joseph Tobin, CSsR and the Reverend Gero McLaughlin SJ for institutes of men;  Sister Sharon Holland IHM and Sister Mairin McDonagh RJM for institutes of women.  They will carry out a careful study, evaluating the results obtained from the questionnaire and the possible steps to be taken in the future in order to usher in a season of spiritual rebirth for religious life on the Island.

His Holiness invites all the members of the Irish Catholic community to support this fraternal initiative with their prayers.  He invokes God’s blessings upon the Visitors, and upon all the Bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful of Ireland, that the Visitation may be for them an occasion of renewed fervour in the Christian life, and that it may deepen their faith and strengthen their hope in Christ our Saviour.

ENDS

Further information:
Martin Long, Director of Communications 086 172 7678
Brenda Drumm, Communications Officer 087 310 4444

PRESS RELEASE
31 May 2010
Statement of the Standing Committee of the Irish Bishops' Conference in response to the announcement today of the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland We welcome the news today (see below) that the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland, announced by Pope Benedict XVI in his Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, will begin in  the autumn of this year.  An expression of the personal closeness of Pope Benedict XVI to the Catholics of Ireland, this Visitation represents one more important step on the path to healing, reparation and renewal in the Church in Ireland.  We pledge our full co-operation with all those involved and whose names were announced today.

The Apostolic Visitation will be an opportunity to further develop the work that is being undertaken in the Church in Ireland to address the needs of survivors of abuse, to build upon the strong procedures and guidelines for the safeguarding of children and to work for a renewal of faith.

The Apostolic Visitation is  also  an opportunity to reflect, evaluate and review certain aspects of life in the Church in Ireland at this time, mindful of Pope Benedict's words in his Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, "In solidarity with all of you, I am praying earnestly that, by God's grace, the wounds afflicting so many individuals and families may be healed and that the Church in Ireland may experience a season of rebirth and spiritual renewal."

We look forward to receiving further details of the precise terms of reference of the Apostolic Visitation in due course.

ENDS

Notes for Editors

• Please see below "Press release on the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland" published today by the Vatican.
• An Apostolic Visitation is a formal but personal process, initiated by the Holy See, to look into the welfare of a particular aspect of the Church.
• The motu proprio “Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela” (referred to in the statement below) was issued by Pope John Paul II in 2001. This document confirmed that the ancient church and moral law always held that the sexual abuse of a minor by a cleric was a “graviora delicta”, that is, “a most serious crime” in the eyes of the Church. The seriousness of the crime and the increasing number of reports of such crimes to the Holy See around that time, occasioned the up-dating of the internal canonical disciplinary procedures for such a serious crime to ensure consistency and uniformity in the management and prosecution of the crime of the sexual abuse of a minor by a cleric.

This document Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela requires that all such crimes be referred to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith by the Ordinary (Bishop or Religious Superior) for guidance about how best to conduct the internal canonical disciplinary procedures. In some cases, the Congregation may decide to deal with the case itself. The document does not prevent Bishops from following the local civil laws in reporting of allegations of sexual abuse of minors by cleric to the civil authorities nor co-operating with local statutory authorities in the investigation or prosecution of such crimes. Indeed, internal canonical disciplinary procedures are “suspended” so as not to undermine in any way police investigations and / or criminal trials in the civil courts.

• The following press release was published today by the Vatican concerning the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland

Following the Holy Father’s Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, the Apostolic Visitation of certain Irish dioceses, seminaries and religious congregations will begin in autumn of this year.

Through this Visitation, the Holy See intends to offer assistance to the Bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful as they seek to respond adequately to the situation caused by the tragic cases of abuse perpetrated by priests and religious upon minors.  It is also intended to contribute to the desired spiritual and moral renewal that is already being vigorously pursued by the Church in Ireland.

The Apostolic Visitors will set out to explore more deeply questions concerning the handling of cases of abuse and the assistance owed to the victims; they will monitor the effectiveness of and seek possible improvements to the current procedures for preventing abuse, taking as their points of reference the Pontifical Motu Proprio “Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela” and the norms contained in Safeguarding Children: Standards and Guidance Document for the Catholic Church in Ireland, commissioned and produced by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church.

The Visitation will begin in the four Metropolitan Archdioceses of Ireland (Armagh, Dublin, Cashel and Emly, and Tuam) and will then be extended to some other dioceses.

The Visitors named by the Holy Father for the dioceses are:  His Eminence Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Emeritus Archbishop of Westminster, for the Archdiocese of Armagh; His Eminence Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston, for the Archdiocese of Dublin; the Most Reverend Thomas Christopher Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, for the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly; the Most Reverend Terrence Thomas Prendergast, Archbishop of Ottawa, for the Archdiocese of Tuam.

In its desire to accompany the process of renewal of houses of formation for the future priests of the Church in Ireland, the Congregation for Catholic Education will coordinate the visitation of the Irish seminaries, including the Pontifical Irish College in Rome.  While special attention will be given to the matters that occasioned the Apostolic Visitation, in the case of the seminaries it will cover all aspects of priestly formation.  The Most Reverend Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, has been named Apostolic Visitor

For its part, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life will organize the visitation of religious houses in two phases.  Firstly it will conduct an enquiry by means of a questionnaire to be sent to all the Superiors of religious institutes present in Ireland, with a view to providing an accurate picture of the current situation and formulating plans for the observance and improvement of the norms contained in the “guidelines”.  In the second phase, the Apostolic Visitors will be: the Reverend Joseph Tobin, CSsR and the Reverend Gero McLaughlin SJ for institutes of men;  Sister Sharon Holland IHM and Sister Mairin McDonagh RJM for institutes of women.  They will carry out a careful study, evaluating the results obtained from the questionnaire and the possible steps to be taken in the future in order to usher in a season of spiritual rebirth for religious life on the Island.

His Holiness invites all the members of the Irish Catholic community to support this fraternal initiative with their prayers.  He invokes God’s blessings upon the Visitors, and upon all the Bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful of Ireland, that the Visitation may be for them an occasion of renewed fervour in the Christian life, and that it may deepen their faith and strengthen their hope in Christ our Saviour.

ENDS

Further information:
Martin Long, Director of Communications 086 172 7678
Brenda Drumm, Communications Officer 087 310 4444

PRESS RELEASE
31 May 2010
Statement of the Standing Committee of the Irish Bishops' Conference in response to the announcement today of the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland We welcome the news today (see below) that the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland, announced by Pope Benedict XVI in his Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, will begin in  the autumn of this year.  An expression of the personal closeness of Pope Benedict XVI to the Catholics of Ireland, this Visitation represents one more important step on the path to healing, reparation and renewal in the Church in Ireland.  We pledge our full co-operation with all those involved and whose names were announced today.

The Apostolic Visitation will be an opportunity to further develop the work that is being undertaken in the Church in Ireland to address the needs of survivors of abuse, to build upon the strong procedures and guidelines for the safeguarding of children and to work for a renewal of faith.

The Apostolic Visitation is  also  an opportunity to reflect, evaluate and review certain aspects of life in the Church in Ireland at this time, mindful of Pope Benedict's words in his Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, "In solidarity with all of you, I am praying earnestly that, by God's grace, the wounds afflicting so many individuals and families may be healed and that the Church in Ireland may experience a season of rebirth and spiritual renewal."

We look forward to receiving further details of the precise terms of reference of the Apostolic Visitation in due course.

ENDS

Notes for Editors

• Please see below "Press release on the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland" published today by the Vatican.
• An Apostolic Visitation is a formal but personal process, initiated by the Holy See, to look into the welfare of a particular aspect of the Church.
• The motu proprio “Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela” (referred to in the statement below) was issued by Pope John Paul II in 2001. This document confirmed that the ancient church and moral law always held that the sexual abuse of a minor by a cleric was a “graviora delicta”, that is, “a most serious crime” in the eyes of the Church. The seriousness of the crime and the increasing number of reports of such crimes to the Holy See around that time, occasioned the up-dating of the internal canonical disciplinary procedures for such a serious crime to ensure consistency and uniformity in the management and prosecution of the crime of the sexual abuse of a minor by a cleric.

This document Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela requires that all such crimes be referred to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith by the Ordinary (Bishop or Religious Superior) for guidance about how best to conduct the internal canonical disciplinary procedures. In some cases, the Congregation may decide to deal with the case itself. The document does not prevent Bishops from following the local civil laws in reporting of allegations of sexual abuse of minors by cleric to the civil authorities nor co-operating with local statutory authorities in the investigation or prosecution of such crimes. Indeed, internal canonical disciplinary procedures are “suspended” so as not to undermine in any way police investigations and / or criminal trials in the civil courts.

• The following press release was published today by the Vatican concerning the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland

Following the Holy Father’s Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, the Apostolic Visitation of certain Irish dioceses, seminaries and religious congregations will begin in autumn of this year.

Through this Visitation, the Holy See intends to offer assistance to the Bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful as they seek to respond adequately to the situation caused by the tragic cases of abuse perpetrated by priests and religious upon minors.  It is also intended to contribute to the desired spiritual and moral renewal that is already being vigorously pursued by the Church in Ireland.

The Apostolic Visitors will set out to explore more deeply questions concerning the handling of cases of abuse and the assistance owed to the victims; they will monitor the effectiveness of and seek possible improvements to the current procedures for preventing abuse, taking as their points of reference the Pontifical Motu Proprio “Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela” and the norms contained in Safeguarding Children: Standards and Guidance Document for the Catholic Church in Ireland, commissioned and produced by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church.

The Visitation will begin in the four Metropolitan Archdioceses of Ireland (Armagh, Dublin, Cashel and Emly, and Tuam) and will then be extended to some other dioceses.

The Visitors named by the Holy Father for the dioceses are:  His Eminence Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Emeritus Archbishop of Westminster, for the Archdiocese of Armagh; His Eminence Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston, for the Archdiocese of Dublin; the Most Reverend Thomas Christopher Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, for the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly; the Most Reverend Terrence Thomas Prendergast, Archbishop of Ottawa, for the Archdiocese of Tuam.

In its desire to accompany the process of renewal of houses of formation for the future priests of the Church in Ireland, the Congregation for Catholic Education will coordinate the visitation of the Irish seminaries, including the Pontifical Irish College in Rome.  While special attention will be given to the matters that occasioned the Apostolic Visitation, in the case of the seminaries it will cover all aspects of priestly formation.  The Most Reverend Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, has been named Apostolic Visitor

For its part, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life will organize the visitation of religious houses in two phases.  Firstly it will conduct an enquiry by means of a questionnaire to be sent to all the Superiors of religious institutes present in Ireland, with a view to providing an accurate picture of the current situation and formulating plans for the observance and improvement of the norms contained in the “guidelines”.  In the second phase, the Apostolic Visitors will be: the Reverend Joseph Tobin, CSsR and the Reverend Gero McLaughlin SJ for institutes of men;  Sister Sharon Holland IHM and Sister Mairin McDonagh RJM for institutes of women.  They will carry out a careful study, evaluating the results obtained from the questionnaire and the possible steps to be taken in the future in order to usher in a season of spiritual rebirth for religious life on the Island.

His Holiness invites all the members of the Irish Catholic community to support this fraternal initiative with their prayers.  He invokes God’s blessings upon the Visitors, and upon all the Bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful of Ireland, that the Visitation may be for them an occasion of renewed fervour in the Christian life, and that it may deepen their faith and strengthen their hope in Christ our Saviour.

ENDS

Further information:
Martin Long, Director of Communications 086 172 7678
Brenda Drumm, Communications Officer 087 310 4444

PRESS RELEASE
31 May 2010
Statement of the Standing Committee of the Irish Bishops' Conference in response to the announcement today of the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland We welcome the news today (see below) that the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland, announced by Pope Benedict XVI in his Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, will begin in  the autumn of this year.  An expression of the personal closeness of Pope Benedict XVI to the Catholics of Ireland, this Visitation represents one more important step on the path to healing, reparation and renewal in the Church in Ireland.  We pledge our full co-operation with all those involved and whose names were announced today.

The Apostolic Visitation will be an opportunity to further develop the work that is being undertaken in the Church in Ireland to address the needs of survivors of abuse, to build upon the strong procedures and guidelines for the safeguarding of children and to work for a renewal of faith.

The Apostolic Visitation is  also  an opportunity to reflect, evaluate and review certain aspects of life in the Church in Ireland at this time, mindful of Pope Benedict's words in his Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, "In solidarity with all of you, I am praying earnestly that, by God's grace, the wounds afflicting so many individuals and families may be healed and that the Church in Ireland may experience a season of rebirth and spiritual renewal."

We look forward to receiving further details of the precise terms of reference of the Apostolic Visitation in due course.

ENDS

Notes for Editors

• Please see below "Press release on the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland" published today by the Vatican.
• An Apostolic Visitation is a formal but personal process, initiated by the Holy See, to look into the welfare of a particular aspect of the Church.
• The motu proprio “Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela” (referred to in the statement below) was issued by Pope John Paul II in 2001. This document confirmed that the ancient church and moral law always held that the sexual abuse of a minor by a cleric was a “graviora delicta”, that is, “a most serious crime” in the eyes of the Church. The seriousness of the crime and the increasing number of reports of such crimes to the Holy See around that time, occasioned the up-dating of the internal canonical disciplinary procedures for such a serious crime to ensure consistency and uniformity in the management and prosecution of the crime of the sexual abuse of a minor by a cleric.

This document Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela requires that all such crimes be referred to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith by the Ordinary (Bishop or Religious Superior) for guidance about how best to conduct the internal canonical disciplinary procedures. In some cases, the Congregation may decide to deal with the case itself. The document does not prevent Bishops from following the local civil laws in reporting of allegations of sexual abuse of minors by cleric to the civil authorities nor co-operating with local statutory authorities in the investigation or prosecution of such crimes. Indeed, internal canonical disciplinary procedures are “suspended” so as not to undermine in any way police investigations and / or criminal trials in the civil courts.

• The following press release was published today by the Vatican concerning the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland

Following the Holy Father’s Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, the Apostolic Visitation of certain Irish dioceses, seminaries and religious congregations will begin in autumn of this year.

Through this Visitation, the Holy See intends to offer assistance to the Bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful as they seek to respond adequately to the situation caused by the tragic cases of abuse perpetrated by priests and religious upon minors.  It is also intended to contribute to the desired spiritual and moral renewal that is already being vigorously pursued by the Church in Ireland.

The Apostolic Visitors will set out to explore more deeply questions concerning the handling of cases of abuse and the assistance owed to the victims; they will monitor the effectiveness of and seek possible improvements to the current procedures for preventing abuse, taking as their points of reference the Pontifical Motu Proprio “Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela” and the norms contained in Safeguarding Children: Standards and Guidance Document for the Catholic Church in Ireland, commissioned and produced by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church.

The Visitation will begin in the four Metropolitan Archdioceses of Ireland (Armagh, Dublin, Cashel and Emly, and Tuam) and will then be extended to some other dioceses.

The Visitors named by the Holy Father for the dioceses are:  His Eminence Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Emeritus Archbishop of Westminster, for the Archdiocese of Armagh; His Eminence Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston, for the Archdiocese of Dublin; the Most Reverend Thomas Christopher Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, for the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly; the Most Reverend Terrence Thomas Prendergast, Archbishop of Ottawa, for the Archdiocese of Tuam.

In its desire to accompany the process of renewal of houses of formation for the future priests of the Church in Ireland, the Congregation for Catholic Education will coordinate the visitation of the Irish seminaries, including the Pontifical Irish College in Rome.  While special attention will be given to the matters that occasioned the Apostolic Visitation, in the case of the seminaries it will cover all aspects of priestly formation.  The Most Reverend Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, has been named Apostolic Visitor

For its part, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life will organize the visitation of religious houses in two phases.  Firstly it will conduct an enquiry by means of a questionnaire to be sent to all the Superiors of religious institutes present in Ireland, with a view to providing an accurate picture of the current situation and formulating plans for the observance and improvement of the norms contained in the “guidelines”.  In the second phase, the Apostolic Visitors will be: the Reverend Joseph Tobin, CSsR and the Reverend Gero McLaughlin SJ for institutes of men;  Sister Sharon Holland IHM and Sister Mairin McDonagh RJM for institutes of women.  They will carry out a careful study, evaluating the results obtained from the questionnaire and the possible steps to be taken in the future in order to usher in a season of spiritual rebirth for religious life on the Island.

His Holiness invites all the members of the Irish Catholic community to support this fraternal initiative with their prayers.  He invokes God’s blessings upon the Visitors, and upon all the Bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful of Ireland, that the Visitation may be for them an occasion of renewed fervour in the Christian life, and that it may deepen their faith and strengthen their hope in Christ our Saviour.

ENDS

Further information:
Martin Long, Director of Communications 086 172 7678
Brenda Drumm, Communications Officer 087 310 4444

PRESS RELEASE
31 May 2010
Statement of the Standing Committee of the Irish Bishops' Conference in response to the announcement today of the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland We welcome the news today (see below) that the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland, announced by Pope Benedict XVI in his Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, will begin in  the autumn of this year.  An expression of the personal closeness of Pope Benedict XVI to the Catholics of Ireland, this Visitation represents one more important step on the path to healing, reparation and renewal in the Church in Ireland.  We pledge our full co-operation with all those involved and whose names were announced today.

The Apostolic Visitation will be an opportunity to further develop the work that is being undertaken in the Church in Ireland to address the needs of survivors of abuse, to build upon the strong procedures and guidelines for the safeguarding of children and to work for a renewal of faith.

The Apostolic Visitation is  also  an opportunity to reflect, evaluate and review certain aspects of life in the Church in Ireland at this time, mindful of Pope Benedict's words in his Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, "In solidarity with all of you, I am praying earnestly that, by God's grace, the wounds afflicting so many individuals and families may be healed and that the Church in Ireland may experience a season of rebirth and spiritual renewal."

We look forward to receiving further details of the precise terms of reference of the Apostolic Visitation in due course.

ENDS

Notes for Editors

• Please see below "Press release on the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland" published today by the Vatican.
• An Apostolic Visitation is a formal but personal process, initiated by the Holy See, to look into the welfare of a particular aspect of the Church.
• The motu proprio “Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela” (referred to in the statement below) was issued by Pope John Paul II in 2001. This document confirmed that the ancient church and moral law always held that the sexual abuse of a minor by a cleric was a “graviora delicta”, that is, “a most serious crime” in the eyes of the Church. The seriousness of the crime and the increasing number of reports of such crimes to the Holy See around that time, occasioned the up-dating of the internal canonical disciplinary procedures for such a serious crime to ensure consistency and uniformity in the management and prosecution of the crime of the sexual abuse of a minor by a cleric.

This document Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela requires that all such crimes be referred to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith by the Ordinary (Bishop or Religious Superior) for guidance about how best to conduct the internal canonical disciplinary procedures. In some cases, the Congregation may decide to deal with the case itself. The document does not prevent Bishops from following the local civil laws in reporting of allegations of sexual abuse of minors by cleric to the civil authorities nor co-operating with local statutory authorities in the investigation or prosecution of such crimes. Indeed, internal canonical disciplinary procedures are “suspended” so as not to undermine in any way police investigations and / or criminal trials in the civil courts.

• The following press release was published today by the Vatican concerning the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland

Following the Holy Father’s Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, the Apostolic Visitation of certain Irish dioceses, seminaries and religious congregations will begin in autumn of this year.

Through this Visitation, the Holy See intends to offer assistance to the Bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful as they seek to respond adequately to the situation caused by the tragic cases of abuse perpetrated by priests and religious upon minors.  It is also intended to contribute to the desired spiritual and moral renewal that is already being vigorously pursued by the Church in Ireland.

The Apostolic Visitors will set out to explore more deeply questions concerning the handling of cases of abuse and the assistance owed to the victims; they will monitor the effectiveness of and seek possible improvements to the current procedures for preventing abuse, taking as their points of reference the Pontifical Motu Proprio “Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela” and the norms contained in Safeguarding Children: Standards and Guidance Document for the Catholic Church in Ireland, commissioned and produced by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church.

The Visitation will begin in the four Metropolitan Archdioceses of Ireland (Armagh, Dublin, Cashel and Emly, and Tuam) and will then be extended to some other dioceses.

The Visitors named by the Holy Father for the dioceses are:  His Eminence Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Emeritus Archbishop of Westminster, for the Archdiocese of Armagh; His Eminence Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston, for the Archdiocese of Dublin; the Most Reverend Thomas Christopher Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, for the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly; the Most Reverend Terrence Thomas Prendergast, Archbishop of Ottawa, for the Archdiocese of Tuam.

In its desire to accompany the process of renewal of houses of formation for the future priests of the Church in Ireland, the Congregation for Catholic Education will coordinate the visitation of the Irish seminaries, including the Pontifical Irish College in Rome.  While special attention will be given to the matters that occasioned the Apostolic Visitation, in the case of the seminaries it will cover all aspects of priestly formation.  The Most Reverend Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, has been named Apostolic Visitor

For its part, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life will organize the visitation of religious houses in two phases.  Firstly it will conduct an enquiry by means of a questionnaire to be sent to all the Superiors of religious institutes present in Ireland, with a view to providing an accurate picture of the current situation and formulating plans for the observance and improvement of the norms contained in the “guidelines”.  In the second phase, the Apostolic Visitors will be: the Reverend Joseph Tobin, CSsR and the Reverend Gero McLaughlin SJ for institutes of men;  Sister Sharon Holland IHM and Sister Mairin McDonagh RJM for institutes of women.  They will carry out a careful study, evaluating the results obtained from the questionnaire and the possible steps to be taken in the future in order to usher in a season of spiritual rebirth for religious life on the Island.

His Holiness invites all the members of the Irish Catholic community to support this fraternal initiative with their prayers.  He invokes God’s blessings upon the Visitors, and upon all the Bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful of Ireland, that the Visitation may be for them an occasion of renewed fervour in the Christian life, and that it may deepen their faith and strengthen their hope in Christ our Saviour.

ENDS

Further information:
Martin Long, Director of Communications 086 172 7678
Brenda Drumm, Communications Officer 087 310 4444

PRESS RELEASE
31 May 2010
Statement of the Standing Committee of the Irish Bishops' Conference in response to the announcement today of the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland We welcome the news today (see below) that the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland, announced by Pope Benedict XVI in his Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, will begin in  the autumn of this year.  An expression of the personal closeness of Pope Benedict XVI to the Catholics of Ireland, this Visitation represents one more important step on the path to healing, reparation and renewal in the Church in Ireland.  We pledge our full co-operation with all those involved and whose names were announced today.

The Apostolic Visitation will be an opportunity to further develop the work that is being undertaken in the Church in Ireland to address the needs of survivors of abuse, to build upon the strong procedures and guidelines for the safeguarding of children and to work for a renewal of faith.

The Apostolic Visitation is  also  an opportunity to reflect, evaluate and review certain aspects of life in the Church in Ireland at this time, mindful of Pope Benedict's words in his Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, "In solidarity with all of you, I am praying earnestly that, by God's grace, the wounds afflicting so many individuals and families may be healed and that the Church in Ireland may experience a season of rebirth and spiritual renewal."

We look forward to receiving further details of the precise terms of reference of the Apostolic Visitation in due course.

ENDS

Notes for Editors

• Please see below "Press release on the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland" published today by the Vatican.
• An Apostolic Visitation is a formal but personal process, initiated by the Holy See, to look into the welfare of a particular aspect of the Church.
• The motu proprio “Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela” (referred to in the statement below) was issued by Pope John Paul II in 2001. This document confirmed that the ancient church and moral law always held that the sexual abuse of a minor by a cleric was a “graviora delicta”, that is, “a most serious crime” in the eyes of the Church. The seriousness of the crime and the increasing number of reports of such crimes to the Holy See around that time, occasioned the up-dating of the internal canonical disciplinary procedures for such a serious crime to ensure consistency and uniformity in the management and prosecution of the crime of the sexual abuse of a minor by a cleric.

This document Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela requires that all such crimes be referred to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith by the Ordinary (Bishop or Religious Superior) for guidance about how best to conduct the internal canonical disciplinary procedures. In some cases, the Congregation may decide to deal with the case itself. The document does not prevent Bishops from following the local civil laws in reporting of allegations of sexual abuse of minors by cleric to the civil authorities nor co-operating with local statutory authorities in the investigation or prosecution of such crimes. Indeed, internal canonical disciplinary procedures are “suspended” so as not to undermine in any way police investigations and / or criminal trials in the civil courts.

• The following press release was published today by the Vatican concerning the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland

Following the Holy Father’s Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, the Apostolic Visitation of certain Irish dioceses, seminaries and religious congregations will begin in autumn of this year.

Through this Visitation, the Holy See intends to offer assistance to the Bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful as they seek to respond adequately to the situation caused by the tragic cases of abuse perpetrated by priests and religious upon minors.  It is also intended to contribute to the desired spiritual and moral renewal that is already being vigorously pursued by the Church in Ireland.

The Apostolic Visitors will set out to explore more deeply questions concerning the handling of cases of abuse and the assistance owed to the victims; they will monitor the effectiveness of and seek possible improvements to the current procedures for preventing abuse, taking as their points of reference the Pontifical Motu Proprio “Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela” and the norms contained in Safeguarding Children: Standards and Guidance Document for the Catholic Church in Ireland, commissioned and produced by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church.

The Visitation will begin in the four Metropolitan Archdioceses of Ireland (Armagh, Dublin, Cashel and Emly, and Tuam) and will then be extended to some other dioceses.

The Visitors named by the Holy Father for the dioceses are:  His Eminence Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Emeritus Archbishop of Westminster, for the Archdiocese of Armagh; His Eminence Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston, for the Archdiocese of Dublin; the Most Reverend Thomas Christopher Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, for the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly; the Most Reverend Terrence Thomas Prendergast, Archbishop of Ottawa, for the Archdiocese of Tuam.

In its desire to accompany the process of renewal of houses of formation for the future priests of the Church in Ireland, the Congregation for Catholic Education will coordinate the visitation of the Irish seminaries, including the Pontifical Irish College in Rome.  While special attention will be given to the matters that occasioned the Apostolic Visitation, in the case of the seminaries it will cover all aspects of priestly formation.  The Most Reverend Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, has been named Apostolic Visitor

For its part, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life will organize the visitation of religious houses in two phases.  Firstly it will conduct an enquiry by means of a questionnaire to be sent to all the Superiors of religious institutes present in Ireland, with a view to providing an accurate picture of the current situation and formulating plans for the observance and improvement of the norms contained in the “guidelines”.  In the second phase, the Apostolic Visitors will be: the Reverend Joseph Tobin, CSsR and the Reverend Gero McLaughlin SJ for institutes of men;  Sister Sharon Holland IHM and Sister Mairin McDonagh RJM for institutes of women.  They will carry out a careful study, evaluating the results obtained from the questionnaire and the possible steps to be taken in the future in order to usher in a season of spiritual rebirth for religious life on the Island.

His Holiness invites all the members of the Irish Catholic community to support this fraternal initiative with their prayers.  He invokes God’s blessings upon the Visitors, and upon all the Bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful of Ireland, that the Visitation may be for them an occasion of renewed fervour in the Christian life, and that it may deepen their faith and strengthen their hope in Christ our Saviour.

ENDS

Further information:
Martin Long, Director of Communications 086 172 7678
Brenda Drumm, Communications Officer 087 310 4444

PRESS RELEASE
31 May 2010
Statement of the Standing Committee of the Irish Bishops' Conference in response to the announcement today of the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland We welcome the news today (see below) that the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland, announced by Pope Benedict XVI in his Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, will begin in  the autumn of this year.  An expression of the personal closeness of Pope Benedict XVI to the Catholics of Ireland, this Visitation represents one more important step on the path to healing, reparation and renewal in the Church in Ireland.  We pledge our full co-operation with all those involved and whose names were announced today.

The Apostolic Visitation will be an opportunity to further develop the work that is being undertaken in the Church in Ireland to address the needs of survivors of abuse, to build upon the strong procedures and guidelines for the safeguarding of children and to work for a renewal of faith.

The Apostolic Visitation is  also  an opportunity to reflect, evaluate and review certain aspects of life in the Church in Ireland at this time, mindful of Pope Benedict's words in his Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, "In solidarity with all of you, I am praying earnestly that, by God's grace, the wounds afflicting so many individuals and families may be healed and that the Church in Ireland may experience a season of rebirth and spiritual renewal."

We look forward to receiving further details of the precise terms of reference of the Apostolic Visitation in due course.

ENDS

Notes for Editors

• Please see below "Press release on the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland" published today by the Vatican.
• An Apostolic Visitation is a formal but personal process, initiated by the Holy See, to look into the welfare of a particular aspect of the Church.
• The motu proprio “Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela” (referred to in the statement below) was issued by Pope John Paul II in 2001. This document confirmed that the ancient church and moral law always held that the sexual abuse of a minor by a cleric was a “graviora delicta”, that is, “a most serious crime” in the eyes of the Church. The seriousness of the crime and the increasing number of reports of such crimes to the Holy See around that time, occasioned the up-dating of the internal canonical disciplinary procedures for such a serious crime to ensure consistency and uniformity in the management and prosecution of the crime of the sexual abuse of a minor by a cleric.

This document Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela requires that all such crimes be referred to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith by the Ordinary (Bishop or Religious Superior) for guidance about how best to conduct the internal canonical disciplinary procedures. In some cases, the Congregation may decide to deal with the case itself. The document does not prevent Bishops from following the local civil laws in reporting of allegations of sexual abuse of minors by cleric to the civil authorities nor co-operating with local statutory authorities in the investigation or prosecution of such crimes. Indeed, internal canonical disciplinary procedures are “suspended” so as not to undermine in any way police investigations and / or criminal trials in the civil courts.

• The following press release was published today by the Vatican concerning the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland

Following the Holy Father’s Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, the Apostolic Visitation of certain Irish dioceses, seminaries and religious congregations will begin in autumn of this year.

Through this Visitation, the Holy See intends to offer assistance to the Bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful as they seek to respond adequately to the situation caused by the tragic cases of abuse perpetrated by priests and religious upon minors.  It is also intended to contribute to the desired spiritual and moral renewal that is already being vigorously pursued by the Church in Ireland.

The Apostolic Visitors will set out to explore more deeply questions concerning the handling of cases of abuse and the assistance owed to the victims; they will monitor the effectiveness of and seek possible improvements to the current procedures for preventing abuse, taking as their points of reference the Pontifical Motu Proprio “Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela” and the norms contained in Safeguarding Children: Standards and Guidance Document for the Catholic Church in Ireland, commissioned and produced by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church.

The Visitation will begin in the four Metropolitan Archdioceses of Ireland (Armagh, Dublin, Cashel and Emly, and Tuam) and will then be extended to some other dioceses.

The Visitors named by the Holy Father for the dioceses are:  His Eminence Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Emeritus Archbishop of Westminster, for the Archdiocese of Armagh; His Eminence Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston, for the Archdiocese of Dublin; the Most Reverend Thomas Christopher Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, for the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly; the Most Reverend Terrence Thomas Prendergast, Archbishop of Ottawa, for the Archdiocese of Tuam.

In its desire to accompany the process of renewal of houses of formation for the future priests of the Church in Ireland, the Congregation for Catholic Education will coordinate the visitation of the Irish seminaries, including the Pontifical Irish College in Rome.  While special attention will be given to the matters that occasioned the Apostolic Visitation, in the case of the seminaries it will cover all aspects of priestly formation.  The Most Reverend Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, has been named Apostolic Visitor

For its part, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life will organize the visitation of religious houses in two phases.  Firstly it will conduct an enquiry by means of a questionnaire to be sent to all the Superiors of religious institutes present in Ireland, with a view to providing an accurate picture of the current situation and formulating plans for the observance and improvement of the norms contained in the “guidelines”.  In the second phase, the Apostolic Visitors will be: the Reverend Joseph Tobin, CSsR and the Reverend Gero McLaughlin SJ for institutes of men;  Sister Sharon Holland IHM and Sister Mairin McDonagh RJM for institutes of women.  They will carry out a careful study, evaluating the results obtained from the questionnaire and the possible steps to be taken in the future in order to usher in a season of spiritual rebirth for religious life on the Island.

His Holiness invites all the members of the Irish Catholic community to support this fraternal initiative with their prayers.  He invokes God’s blessings upon the Visitors, and upon all the Bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful of Ireland, that the Visitation may be for them an occasion of renewed fervour in the Christian life, and that it may deepen their faith and strengthen their hope in Christ our Saviour.

ENDS

Further information:
Martin Long, Director of Communications 086 172 7678
Brenda Drumm, Communications Officer 087 310 4444

PRESS RELEASE
31 May 2010
Statement of the Standing Committee of the Irish Bishops' Conference in response to the announcement today of the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland We welcome the news today (see below) that the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland, announced by Pope Benedict XVI in his Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, will begin in  the autumn of this year.  An expression of the personal closeness of Pope Benedict XVI to the Catholics of Ireland, this Visitation represents one more important step on the path to healing, reparation and renewal in the Church in Ireland.  We pledge our full co-operation with all those involved and whose names were announced today.

The Apostolic Visitation will be an opportunity to further develop the work that is being undertaken in the Church in Ireland to address the needs of survivors of abuse, to build upon the strong procedures and guidelines for the safeguarding of children and to work for a renewal of faith.

The Apostolic Visitation is  also  an opportunity to reflect, evaluate and review certain aspects of life in the Church in Ireland at this time, mindful of Pope Benedict's words in his Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, "In solidarity with all of you, I am praying earnestly that, by God's grace, the wounds afflicting so many individuals and families may be healed and that the Church in Ireland may experience a season of rebirth and spiritual renewal."

We look forward to receiving further details of the precise terms of reference of the Apostolic Visitation in due course.

ENDS

Notes for Editors

• Please see below "Press release on the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland" published today by the Vatican.
• An Apostolic Visitation is a formal but personal process, initiated by the Holy See, to look into the welfare of a particular aspect of the Church.
• The motu proprio “Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela” (referred to in the statement below) was issued by Pope John Paul II in 2001. This document confirmed that the ancient church and moral law always held that the sexual abuse of a minor by a cleric was a “graviora delicta”, that is, “a most serious crime” in the eyes of the Church. The seriousness of the crime and the increasing number of reports of such crimes to the Holy See around that time, occasioned the up-dating of the internal canonical disciplinary procedures for such a serious crime to ensure consistency and uniformity in the management and prosecution of the crime of the sexual abuse of a minor by a cleric.

This document Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela requires that all such crimes be referred to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith by the Ordinary (Bishop or Religious Superior) for guidance about how best to conduct the internal canonical disciplinary procedures. In some cases, the Congregation may decide to deal with the case itself. The document does not prevent Bishops from following the local civil laws in reporting of allegations of sexual abuse of minors by cleric to the civil authorities nor co-operating with local statutory authorities in the investigation or prosecution of such crimes. Indeed, internal canonical disciplinary procedures are “suspended” so as not to undermine in any way police investigations and / or criminal trials in the civil courts.

• The following press release was published today by the Vatican concerning the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland

Following the Holy Father’s Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, the Apostolic Visitation of certain Irish dioceses, seminaries and religious congregations will begin in autumn of this year.

Through this Visitation, the Holy See intends to offer assistance to the Bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful as they seek to respond adequately to the situation caused by the tragic cases of abuse perpetrated by priests and religious upon minors.  It is also intended to contribute to the desired spiritual and moral renewal that is already being vigorously pursued by the Church in Ireland.

The Apostolic Visitors will set out to explore more deeply questions concerning the handling of cases of abuse and the assistance owed to the victims; they will monitor the effectiveness of and seek possible improvements to the current procedures for preventing abuse, taking as their points of reference the Pontifical Motu Proprio “Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela” and the norms contained in Safeguarding Children: Standards and Guidance Document for the Catholic Church in Ireland, commissioned and produced by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church.

The Visitation will begin in the four Metropolitan Archdioceses of Ireland (Armagh, Dublin, Cashel and Emly, and Tuam) and will then be extended to some other dioceses.

The Visitors named by the Holy Father for the dioceses are:  His Eminence Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Emeritus Archbishop of Westminster, for the Archdiocese of Armagh; His Eminence Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston, for the Archdiocese of Dublin; the Most Reverend Thomas Christopher Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, for the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly; the Most Reverend Terrence Thomas Prendergast, Archbishop of Ottawa, for the Archdiocese of Tuam.

In its desire to accompany the process of renewal of houses of formation for the future priests of the Church in Ireland, the Congregation for Catholic Education will coordinate the visitation of the Irish seminaries, including the Pontifical Irish College in Rome.  While special attention will be given to the matters that occasioned the Apostolic Visitation, in the case of the seminaries it will cover all aspects of priestly formation.  The Most Reverend Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, has been named Apostolic Visitor

For its part, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life will organize the visitation of religious houses in two phases.  Firstly it will conduct an enquiry by means of a questionnaire to be sent to all the Superiors of religious institutes present in Ireland, with a view to providing an accurate picture of the current situation and formulating plans for the observance and improvement of the norms contained in the “guidelines”.  In the second phase, the Apostolic Visitors will be: the Reverend Joseph Tobin, CSsR and the Reverend Gero McLaughlin SJ for institutes of men;  Sister Sharon Holland IHM and Sister Mairin McDonagh RJM for institutes of women.  They will carry out a careful study, evaluating the results obtained from the questionnaire and the possible steps to be taken in the future in order to usher in a season of spiritual rebirth for religious life on the Island.

His Holiness invites all the members of the Irish Catholic community to support this fraternal initiative with their prayers.  He invokes God’s blessings upon the Visitors, and upon all the Bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful of Ireland, that the Visitation may be for them an occasion of renewed fervour in the Christian life, and that it may deepen their faith and strengthen their hope in Christ our Saviour.

ENDS

Further information:
Martin Long, Director of Communications 086 172 7678
Brenda Drumm, Communications Officer 087 310 4444

PRESS RELEASE
31 May 2010
Statement of the Standing Committee of the Irish Bishops' Conference in response to the announcement today of the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland We welcome the news today (see below) that the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland, announced by Pope Benedict XVI in his Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, will begin in  the autumn of this year.  An expression of the personal closeness of Pope Benedict XVI to the Catholics of Ireland, this Visitation represents one more important step on the path to healing, reparation and renewal in the Church in Ireland.  We pledge our full co-operation with all those involved and whose names were announced today.

The Apostolic Visitation will be an opportunity to further develop the work that is being undertaken in the Church in Ireland to address the needs of survivors of abuse, to build upon the strong procedures and guidelines for the safeguarding of children and to work for a renewal of faith.

The Apostolic Visitation is  also  an opportunity to reflect, evaluate and review certain aspects of life in the Church in Ireland at this time, mindful of Pope Benedict's words in his Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, "In solidarity with all of you, I am praying earnestly that, by God's grace, the wounds afflicting so many individuals and families may be healed and that the Church in Ireland may experience a season of rebirth and spiritual renewal."

We look forward to receiving further details of the precise terms of reference of the Apostolic Visitation in due course.

ENDS

Notes for Editors

• Please see below "Press release on the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland" published today by the Vatican.
• An Apostolic Visitation is a formal but personal process, initiated by the Holy See, to look into the welfare of a particular aspect of the Church.
• The motu proprio “Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela” (referred to in the statement below) was issued by Pope John Paul II in 2001. This document confirmed that the ancient church and moral law always held that the sexual abuse of a minor by a cleric was a “graviora delicta”, that is, “a most serious crime” in the eyes of the Church. The seriousness of the crime and the increasing number of reports of such crimes to the Holy See around that time, occasioned the up-dating of the internal canonical disciplinary procedures for such a serious crime to ensure consistency and uniformity in the management and prosecution of the crime of the sexual abuse of a minor by a cleric.

This document Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela requires that all such crimes be referred to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith by the Ordinary (Bishop or Religious Superior) for guidance about how best to conduct the internal canonical disciplinary procedures. In some cases, the Congregation may decide to deal with the case itself. The document does not prevent Bishops from following the local civil laws in reporting of allegations of sexual abuse of minors by cleric to the civil authorities nor co-operating with local statutory authorities in the investigation or prosecution of such crimes. Indeed, internal canonical disciplinary procedures are “suspended” so as not to undermine in any way police investigations and / or criminal trials in the civil courts.

• The following press release was published today by the Vatican concerning the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland

Following the Holy Father’s Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, the Apostolic Visitation of certain Irish dioceses, seminaries and religious congregations will begin in autumn of this year.

Through this Visitation, the Holy See intends to offer assistance to the Bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful as they seek to respond adequately to the situation caused by the tragic cases of abuse perpetrated by priests and religious upon minors.  It is also intended to contribute to the desired spiritual and moral renewal that is already being vigorously pursued by the Church in Ireland.

The Apostolic Visitors will set out to explore more deeply questions concerning the handling of cases of abuse and the assistance owed to the victims; they will monitor the effectiveness of and seek possible improvements to the current procedures for preventing abuse, taking as their points of reference the Pontifical Motu Proprio “Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela” and the norms contained in Safeguarding Children: Standards and Guidance Document for the Catholic Church in Ireland, commissioned and produced by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church.

The Visitation will begin in the four Metropolitan Archdioceses of Ireland (Armagh, Dublin, Cashel and Emly, and Tuam) and will then be extended to some other dioceses.

The Visitors named by the Holy Father for the dioceses are:  His Eminence Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Emeritus Archbishop of Westminster, for the Archdiocese of Armagh; His Eminence Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston, for the Archdiocese of Dublin; the Most Reverend Thomas Christopher Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, for the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly; the Most Reverend Terrence Thomas Prendergast, Archbishop of Ottawa, for the Archdiocese of Tuam.

In its desire to accompany the process of renewal of houses of formation for the future priests of the Church in Ireland, the Congregation for Catholic Education will coordinate the visitation of the Irish seminaries, including the Pontifical Irish College in Rome.  While special attention will be given to the matters that occasioned the Apostolic Visitation, in the case of the seminaries it will cover all aspects of priestly formation.  The Most Reverend Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, has been named Apostolic Visitor

For its part, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life will organize the visitation of religious houses in two phases.  Firstly it will conduct an enquiry by means of a questionnaire to be sent to all the Superiors of religious institutes present in Ireland, with a view to providing an accurate picture of the current situation and formulating plans for the observance and improvement of the norms contained in the “guidelines”.  In the second phase, the Apostolic Visitors will be: the Reverend Joseph Tobin, CSsR and the Reverend Gero McLaughlin SJ for institutes of men;  Sister Sharon Holland IHM and Sister Mairin McDonagh RJM for institutes of women.  They will carry out a careful study, evaluating the results obtained from the questionnaire and the possible steps to be taken in the future in order to usher in a season of spiritual rebirth for religious life on the Island.

His Holiness invites all the members of the Irish Catholic community to support this fraternal initiative with their prayers.  He invokes God’s blessings upon the Visitors, and upon all the Bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful of Ireland, that the Visitation may be for them an occasion of renewed fervour in the Christian life, and that it may deepen their faith and strengthen their hope in Christ our Saviour.

ENDS

Further information:
Martin Long, Director of Communications 086 172 7678
Brenda Drumm, Communications Officer 087 310 4444