Madam, – Bishops have been individually invited by Pope Benedict XVI to meet him to discuss the very serious situation that prevails in the Irish church. As part of their preparations for this meeting, bishops consulted at a local level with survivors, lay faithful, religious and priests.
I wish to reassure Fr Patrick McCafferty (February 10th) that the meeting which took place between survivors of institutional abuse and bishops on February 8th represents but one of a number of lines of communications that exist between Catholic Church representatives and people who have suffered sexual abuse by clergy.
Separately, meetings have also taken place between bishops and individual survivors of abuse at diocesan level. Some of these meetings are private, at the request of those involved, and others have received media coverage.
The meeting on February 8th arose from the meeting last October with the Irish Bishops’ Conference requested by representatives of four groups of survivors of institutional abuse (Right to Peace, Alliance Support Group, Irish Soca, and Right of Place) and a follow-up meeting between representatives of the bishops with these groups on December 11th.
Hearing the concerns of survivors of abuse, in tandem with implementing best practice policy and procedures to safeguard children throughout the church, is an ongoing priority. It is also an important part of acknowledging the failures of the church in the past and of working towards healing and credibility in the critical area of child protection. – Yours, etc,