Crisis now poses major challenge to Benedict
IRELAND'S clerical child sex abuse crisis has escalated into a major challenge of the moral supremacy of Pope Benedict XVI that is being watched closely by millions worldwide.
At stake is Pope Benedict's capacity to eradicate from the Church an evil that has discredited the priesthood and eroded trust in the authority of Rome and national bishops across the globe who covered up the crimes of paedophile clergy.
Pope Benedict's special private audience last night with Cardinal Sean Brady and Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin is extraordinary, if not unprecedented.
The Pope's direct involvement in the Irish Church's gravest crisis since the Penal days marks a significant departure from the Vatican's policy of leaving it to the national hierarchy to sort out the mess. The necessity of a personal response by the Pontiff has grown on account of the huge publicity given to the Irish scandals, most recently the Ryan report.
However, pressure was also mounting from Armagh and Dublin for the Pope to become personally involved because of the lack of unity between the Irish Bishops Conference and the Conference of Religious in Ireland on a unified approach to child protection.
A resolution of those divisions will be pursued by Cardinal Brady and Archbishop Martin at Maynooth next Monday when they report on the outcome of their talks with the Pope. Clearly his support will strengthen the Brady-Martin axis and give a push to the religious orders and diocesan bishops to toe a 'one-church' child protection policy line.
An alliance of the Papal Tiara and Maynooth could yet prove good news for the survivors.
However, both the Pope and the Church remain on trial in the minds of a distrustful Irish public.
- John Cooney
