CATHOLIC BISHOPS in England and Wales have asked for forgiveness and have offered a “heartfelt” apology for the child abuse scandal that has engulfed the church.
A joint statement presented by Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols was issued at the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales yesterday and will go out to all parishes at the end of a plenary meeting in Leeds.
The statement described the crimes carried out by some priests and religious figures as a “profound scandal”.
“They bring deep shame to the whole church, but shame is not enough. The abuse of children is a grievous sin against God. Therefore, we focus not on shame but on our sorrow for these sins . . . We ask their pardon, and the pardon of God for these terrible deeds done in our midst. There can be no excuses.”
The statement said the church would work with safeguarding commissions within its dioceses to ensure relevant steps were taken to protect against any further abuse and atone for those who were already victims.
The statement of contrition follows remarks yesterday by Pope Benedict XVI in which he made his first call for change since a series of accusations of abuse engulfed the Catholic church.
In his weekly public audience in St Peter’s Square, the pope spoke of an earlier statement which had been issued by the Vatican pledging that the church would take action to confront the clerical sex abuse scandal. The statement said the church would do everything in its power to bring justice against abusive priests and would implement “effective measures” to protect children.
In Britain, meanwhile, thousands of people have signed a petition on a government website against the pope’s four-day visit to England and Scotland in September.
The petition, launched by gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, says the visit, to cost an estimated £15 million (€17.25 million), should not be funded by the taxpayer.
During his weekly public audience, the pope recounted his tearful weekend encounter in Malta with eight men who say they were abused as children by priests in a church-run orphanage.
The pope met the men in the Vatican’s embassy, praying with them and listening to their stories.
“I shared with them their suffering and emotionally prayed with them, assuring them of church action,” he told the audience.
At the time of the private meeting on Sunday, the Vatican issued a statement saying the pope had told the men that the church would do everything in its power to bring justice to abusive priests and would implement “effective measures” to protect children.
Neither the pope nor the Vatican has elaborated on what action or measures are being considered. Various national bishops’ conferences have over the years implemented strategies for handling cases of priests who sexually abuse children. – (Guardian service)