Irish Primate Cardinal Sean Brady today said there is no hiding place for abusers in the church.
In his Easter homily, Cardinal Brady said the Pope referred to a “misplaced” concern for the Church’s reputation.
Cardinal Brady, who is head of the Catholic Church in Ireland, has previously apologised for his role in mishandling the case of serial child abuser, Fr Brendan Smyth, who was eventually convicted of dozens of offences against children over a 40-year period.
Cardinal Brady said the desire to avoid scandal had meant proper procedures were not followed and until recent times abusers were not brought before the courts.
“I realise that, however unintentionally, however unknowingly, I too allowed myself to be influenced by that culture in our church, and our society,” he said.
“I pledge to you that, from now on, my overriding concern will always be the safety and protection of everyone in the church — but especially children and all those who are vulnerable.”
"Some of you may have lingering concerns that nothing has changed in the Church.
"I promise you, it has changed radically. There is now no hiding place for abusers in the Church. Our policy is to do whatever is necessary to protect the vulnerable and ensure justice for all."
The senior clergyman said the Church must face the truth of the past fully and not try to flee.
"The lives of survivors of child sexual abuse, the faith of members of the Church, and the credibility of Church leadership, have all been wounded grievously by the evil deeds of priests and religious who exploited their position to wreak havoc on the lives of helpless children".
"Those wounds were aggravated by serious mismanagement on the part of bishops and other leaders in the Church. Those wounds, like the wounds on the body of the risen Christ, will not go away."
He said the Church must undertake an "honest and incisive investigation" of the causes of the scandal before it can set out on the path of renewal.
Cardinal Brady welcomed the announcement by Pope Benedict of an Apostolic visitation and said he
would propose that the Armagh Diocese would be included.
He said: "By destroying all arrogance, pride and corruption in the Church, by becoming the humble, just and caring community of disciples that Christ intended us to be, we may look back at this historic moment and see in it God's life-giving and transforming grace."
PA