Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale212

sulting in failure to apply existing canonical penalties and to safeguard the

dignity of every person. Urgent action is needed to address these factors,

which have had such tragic consequences in the lives of victims and their

families, and have obscured the light of the Gospel to a degree that not even

centuries of persecution succeeded in doing.

5. On several occasions since my election to the See of Peter, I have met

with victims of sexual abuse, as indeed I am ready to do in the future. I have

sat with them, I have listened to their stories, I have acknowledged their

suffering, and I have prayed with them and for them. Earlier in my ponti-

ficate, in my concern to address this matter, I asked the bishops of Ireland,

"to establish the truth of what happened in the past, to take whatever steps

are necessary to prevent it from occurring again, to ensure that the principles

of justice are fully respected, and above all, to bring healing to the victims

and to all those affected by these egregious crimes".2

With this Letter, I wish to exhort all of you, as God's people in Ireland, to

reflect on the wounds inflicted on Christ's body, the sometimes painful re-

medies needed to bind and heal them, and the need for unity, charity and

mutual support in the long-term process of restoration and ecclesial renewal.

I now turn to you with words that come from my heart, and I wish to speak

to each of you individually and to all of you as brothers and sisters in the

Lord.

6. To the victims of abuse and their families

You have suffered grievously and I am truly sorry. I know that nothing

can undo the wrong you have endured. Your trust has been betrayed and

your dignity has been violated. Many of you found that, when you were

courageous enough to speak of what happened to you, no one would listen.

Those of you who were abused in residential institutions must have felt that

there was no escape from your sufferings. It is understandable that you find

it hard to forgive or be reconciled with the Church. In her name, I openly

express the shame and remorse that we all feel. At the same time, I ask you

not to lose hope. It is in the communion of the Church that we encounter the

person of Jesus Christ, who was himself a victim of injustice and sin. Like

you, he still bears the wounds of his own unjust suffering. He understands the

2 Address to the Bishops of Ireland, 28 October 2006.