Thursday, January 21, 2010

Church governance to be focus of papal meeting – by Paddy Agnew – IRISHTIMES.COM

THE GOVERNANCE of the Catholic Church in Ireland is likely to be at the heart of two days of discussions between Pope Benedict, senior Curia cardinals and the Irish bishops when they gather in Rome next month for a meeting to examine the implications of the church’s 15-year clerical child abuse crisis.

Plans for the meeting will be discussed at an extraordinary general meeting of the Irish bishops at Maynooth tomorrow. Photo - Vatican staircase

Vatican senior spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi yesterday confirmed Irish media leaks that the bishops’ meeting with the pope will take place in the Vatican on February 15th and 16th but he was unable to give any further details.

Vatican commentators, however, suggest that secretary of state Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone has played a major role in the pope’s decision to summon the Irish bishops. In the wake of his decision last month to write a pastoral letter to the Irish faithful, due before Lent, the “Irish question” has been doing the rounds of the Holy See.

As the pope consulted with his closest advisers, Cardinal Bertone was one of those who argued that, given the dimensions of the Irish crisis, the Holy See’s response should not limit itself to just a pastoral letter. Read complete article - by Paddy Agnew – IRISHTIMES.COM

Related links:

Irish Catholic Church covered up child abuse, report says – CNN.com

Ireland Child Sexual Abuse - Commission of Investigation, Dublin Archdiocese, Catholic Diocese of Cloyne

Pope ‘led cover-up of child abuse… London Evening Standard - standard.co.uk

This is about the reckless endangerment of children in a calculated, purposeful strategy to protect the institutional Church – The Christian Science Monitor

Pope summons bishops over abuse report - CNN International - Hada Messia

Watergate (Again)?

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