By Hilary White
ROME, April 22, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Following the emotional meeting between Pope Benedict XVI and eight Maltese victims of clerical sexual abuse, the Vatican issued a statement yesterday saying that the pope had told the men that the church would investigate the allegations and bring to justice those responsible for the abuse.
In addition, the statement said that the Vatican will “implement effective measures designed to safeguard young people in the future.”
In his weekly general audience on Wednesday, recalling his Maltese visit, and in particular his encounter with the sex abuse victims, Pope Benedict said, “I shared with them their suffering, and emotionally prayed with them, assuring them of church action.”
Pope Benedict also lauded the Maltese for their commitment to nearly 2000 years of Catholicism, which has resulted, he said, in their having “maintained a profound respect for unborn life and for the sacredness of marriage, choosing not to introduce abortion or divorce into the country's legal system.”
At the same time, the pope today accepted the resignation of Bishop James Moriarty of the diocese of Kildare and Leighlin, who had been among those named in the Irish government’s Murphy Report on the sexual abuse, and its cover-up by archdiocesan officials in Dublin.
Bishop Moriarty said it had been “the most difficult decision of my ministry,” and said that he had not originally intended to resign following the publication of the Murphy Report. Moriarty’s resignation follows those of the former Bishop of Cloyne, John Magee and the former Bishop of Limerick, Donal Murray.
“However, renewal must begin with accepting the responsibility for the past,” he said. “Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that we needed a new beginning, and that I could play my part in opening the way.”
It is also expected that the pope will soon accept the December resignation offers of two auxiliary Dublin bishops, Eamonn Walsh and Ray Field, in coming weeks.
Read related LSN coverage:
Sex Abuse Victims in Malta 'Impressed' and 'At Peace' After Meeting Pope
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/apr/10041910.html
Vatican to Introduce “Zero Tolerance” Rules on Clerical Sex Abuse: Reports
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/apr/10040904.html
Vatican Urges Irish Bishops to “Own Up” to Guilt in Sex Abuse Scandals
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/feb/10021602.html