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The Pope
Pope: Sexual abuse of children by Irish priests is a 'heinous crime'
In meetings with Irish Roman Catholic bishops this week, Pope Benedict XVI condemned the sexual abuse of children by priests as a "heinous crime".
The pontiff had summoned the 24 bishops to the Vatican to discuss their response to the scandal that has rocked the Irish church since it admitted last year that it had covered up the abuse for decades.
Two state-ordered investigations discovered that abuse was rife in many Catholic-run children's institutions in the Irish Republic and that priests accused of abuse were simply moved by bishops to new parishes.
They also revealed that church officials had compiled confidential files on more than 100 parish priests accused of sexual abuse, but that the files were kept secret, leading victims to accuse the church of having a greater concern for its reputation than for abused children.
Following the Pope's three meetings with the bishops over two days, the Vatican's statement read: "For his part, the Holy Father observed that the sexual abuse of children and young people is not only a heinous crime, but also a grave sin which offends God and wounds the dignity of the human person created in his image.
"While realising that the current painful situation will not be resolved quickly, he challenged the Bishops to address the problems of the past with determination and resolve, and to face the present crisis with honesty and courage.
"He also expressed the hope that the present meeting would help to unify the Bishops and enable them to speak with one voice in identifying concrete steps aimed at bringing healing to those who had been abused, encouraging a renewal of faith in Christ and restoring the Church's spiritual and moral credibility."
The Vatican also said that the bishops had promised to co-operate with the civil authorities "to guarantee that the Church's standards, policies and procedures represent best practice in this area".
A letter written to the Pope by victims of abuse by Irish priests called for the resignation of bishops "who engaged in this culture of cover-up".
"The lives of thousands of Irish people have been devastated by sexual abuse by priests," it said.
Four bishops have already offered their resignations, but only one has been formally accepted. A Vatican spokesman said the issue of resignations was not discussed at the meetings.
One victim, Andrew Madden, who in 1995 was one of the first to expose paedophilia in the Irish Catholic church, said: "It's clear that most of Ireland's bishops should go, because they conspired in covering up heinous crimes.
"Most of them will cling to their positions regardless of the anguish this causes the victims," he told Associated Press.
