Pope's role in wake of abuse
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HOW fascinating to have been to be a fly on the wall as the Irish Catholic Church's two most senior figures met Pope Benedict XVl. All Ireland Primate Cardinal Sean Brady, and the Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin, were in the Vatican, at the request of their fellow Irish bishops, to discuss the Ryan Report into child abuse by religious.
There is considerable anger in many countries over abuse of children by Catholic clergy. It is no exaggeration to say that Ireland has become a focus for that outrage. This country is now considered a prime black spot, the original source of what they call 'The Irish Disease', visited upon so many other countries as Catholic religious orders spread their wings.
The Ryan Report received enormous international attention, as people in the United States, Canada, New Zealand and other countries saw that things were as bad, or worse, in Ireland as in their own countries.
The Pope must be acutely aware of the worldwide resentment directed towards the Catholic Church as more and more vile details, which once were systematically covered up, are dragged into the open.
The threat to the Pope's own authority is obvious.
What can he do to recapture some of the papacy's eroded moral power?
Perhaps an invitation to Irish abuse victims to come to Rome and hear the head of the Catholic Church apologise for the behaviour of his servants would help.
Perhaps that is what he and the cardinal and the archbishop talked about.
