Acta Benedicti Pp. XVI 215

10. To the priests and religious of Ireland

All of us are suffering as a result of the sins of our confreres who betrayed

a sacred trust or failed to deal justly and responsibly with allegations of

abuse. In view of the outrage and indignation which this has provoked,

not only among the lay faithful but among yourselves and your religious

communities, many of you feel personally discouraged, even abandoned. I

am also aware that in some people's eyes you are tainted by association, and

viewed as if you were somehow responsible for the misdeeds of others. At this

painful time, I want to acknowledge the dedication of your priestly and

religious lives and apostolates, and I invite you to reaffirm your faith in

Christ, your love of his Church and your confidence in the Gospel's promise

of redemption, forgiveness and interior renewal. In this way, you will demon-

strate for all to see that where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more.4

I know that many of you are disappointed, bewildered and angered by the

way these matters have been handled by some of your superiors. Yet, it is

essential that you cooperate closely with those in authority and help to

ensure that the measures adopted to respond to the crisis will be truly evan-

gelical, just and effective. Above all, I urge you to become ever more clearly

men and women of prayer, courageously following the path of conversion,

purification and reconciliation. In this way, the Church in Ireland will draw

new life and vitality from your witness to the Lord's redeeming power made

visible in your lives.

11. To my brother bishops

It cannot be denied that some of you and your predecessors failed, at

times grievously, to apply the long-established norms of canon law to the

crime of child abuse. Serious mistakes were made in responding to allega-

tions. I recognize how difficult it was to grasp the extent and complexity of

the problem, to obtain reliable information and to make the right decisions in

the light of conflicting expert advice. Nevertheless, it must be admitted that

grave errors of judgement were made and failures of leadership occurred. All

this has seriously undermined your credibility and effectiveness. I appreciate

the efforts you have made to remedy past mistakes and to guarantee that

they do not happen again. Besides fully implementing the norms of canon law

4 Cf. Rom 5:20.