Pope John Paul II has rejected attempts to link the series of child abuse scandals that have so tarnished the image of the Catholic Church in Ireland in the 1990s with the need to change the discipline of priestly celibacy.
He argued on Saturday that calls for an end to priestly celibacy, based on the child abuse scandals, were mistaken since they were based on a "sociological rather than theological concept of the church".
While calling for prayers for both the victims and perpetrators of child abuse, the Pope insisted that the priestly vocation was a mystery of divine choice.
His call came in a lengthy address to 29 Irish bishops, led by the Archbishop of Armagh, Dr Sean Brady, who met him at the end of their 10-day ad limina apostolorum (to the threshold of the apostles) visit to the Holy See.
Both the Pope's address and the visits by the Irish bishops to 13 of the Vatican's departments acknowledged the profound changes that have swept across Irish society and the Irish church in the last seven years.
Issues touched on at meetings included the child molestation scandals as well as the Northern Ireland peace process, social justice questions, declining vocations, declining Mass attendance, abortion, ecumenism, divorce, education and euthanasia.
On the controversial question of the child abuse scandals, the Pope called for prayer and forgiveness while firmly rejecting any connection between those scandals and priestly celibacy. He said: "At a time when priests are suffering due to the pressures of the surrounding culture and the terrible scandal given by some of their brother priests, it is essential to invite them to draw strength from a deeper insight into their priestly identity and mission.
"I have been close to you in suffering and prayer, commending to the `God of all comfort' those who have been victims of sexual abuse on the part of clerics or religious. We must also pray that those who have been guilty of this wrong will recognise the evil nature of their actions and seek forgiveness.
"These scandals, and a sociological rather than theological concept of the church, sometimes lead to calls for a change in the discipline of celibacy.
"However, we cannot overlook the fact that the church recognises God's will through the interior guidance of the Holy Spirit and that the church's living tradition constitutes a clear affirmation of the consonance of celibacy, for profound theological and anthropological reasons, with the sacra mental character of the priest hood. The difficulties involved in preserving chastity are not sufficient reasons for overturning the law of celibacy."
While calling on the Irish bishops to be more innovative in their mission, creating "new forms of prayer and apostolate", the Pope also repeated his oft-spoken condemnation of abortion, urging that the "new evangelisation" would involve "a strenuous defence of the right to life", a right that is "more basic than any individual's, group's or government's right to choose".
The Pope's address avoided any direct reference to the peace process, despite the fact that Northern Ireland featured in several of the bishops' reports.
Speaking after the bishops' audience with the Pope, Archbishop Brady confirmed that he had spoken to him about the "joys and hopes" of the peace process. "I told the Pope that there was the joy of the improving situation with regard to the resolution of the conflict in Northern Ireland, there was joy at the signing of the Belfast Agreement on Good Friday 1998 and the hope within that agreement for a final settlement and a lasting peace.
"I emphasised, however, that there is now a need for great patience as the obstacles in the way of that lasting peace are being addressed . . . This weekend particularly, as efforts to achieve a resolution continue with great intensity, there is an even greater need for fervent prayer by people of all faiths on the island of Ireland and beyond that a lasting settlement and peace will be achieved."