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The Pope has said he is "deeply disturbed and distressed" by the sexual abuse of children by priests in Ireland.

He said he shared the betrayal and shame felt by Irish Catholics after meeting senior bishops in Rome.

Sky News

I'm a bit confused by this. This is the same guy who was discovered to have used his official position to order abuse to be kept secret from the police under threat of excommunication?

investigations' into any claims of abuse should be sent to Ratzinger's office, which has the option of referring them back to private tribunals in which the 'functions of judge, promoter of justice, notary and legal representative can validly be performed for these cases only by priests'.

'Cases of this kind are subject to the pontifical secret,' Ratzinger's letter concludes. Breaching the pontifical secret at any time while the 10-year jurisdiction order is operating carries penalties, including the threat of excommunication.

Guardian
But not quite deeply disturbed and distressed enough to actually cooperate with the Irish inquiry.

From the Irish Times 7 December 2009

THE CATHOLIC primate Cardinal Seán Brady has criticised the lack of response by the Vatican and papal nunciature to correspondence from the Murphy commission.

Speaking to The Irish Times in Dundalk yesterday he said “it was unfortunate that requests from the [Murphy] commission didn’t get the courtesy of a reply” from the Vatican. “They should have,” he said.

Similarly, correspondence by the commission with the papal nunciature in Dublin “should have been acknowledged”, he added.


Humbug.

:mad  from Me and Creature

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1207/1224260241868.html
But not quite deeply disturbed and distressed enough to actually cooperate with the Irish inquiry. - as Midge and Creature say.

What incredible hypocrisy.
This is a prime example of what's wrong with Christianity, which states that if you are very, very sorry, then God will forgive you. And the Pope is very very sorry. He will no doubt be very, very sorry whenever his ministers act sinfully in future as well. And those evil sods abusing the kids? Well, they are probably very, very sorry too. They can just rattle those rosaries and say a few hail Marys and forget about the lives they've ruined because God will forgive them.
They can just rattle those rosaries and say a few hail Marys and forget about the lives they've ruined because God will forgive them.


If they do that, then they are not forgiven.   It not enough just to say I is very very sorry, they do have to repent properly and not do it again, and (Creature thinks) try to put right wot they did wrong.   Otherwise they are not forgiven.

In these cases the right thing to do would be to confess to the police and take their punishment according to the law.   But Me and Creature expect there to be very few guilty priests doing that.
If they do that, then they are not forgiven.

In their own minds they may feel that they are, especially since the word from the top appears to be that concealment is considerably more important than prevention. The human capacity for self delusion is endless, otherwise religion wouldn't exist in the first place.



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