Posted on 08/26/2018 7:02:21 AM PDT by marshmallow
Leo Varadkar’s speech during papal visit focuses on church’s failings over child sexual abuse
The Irish prime minister has called for a new relationship between church and state in which religion is no longer at the centre of society, as the pope made his first visit to Ireland this weekend.
In a blistering speech focusing on the failings of the church, delivered in the presence of Pope Francis, Leo Varadkar, the taoiseach, said a new covenant for the 21st century was needed that reflected the modern country Ireland had become and learned from “our shared mistakes”.
Pope Francis, who is on a two-day visit to Ireland, repeated earlier acknowledgements of the “grave scandal” of child sexual abuse and the church’s failures to confront it, but he failed to address survivors’ growing demands for action.
Francis said: “I cannot fail to acknowledge the grave scandal caused in Ireland by the abuse of young people by members of the church charged with responsibility for their protection and education.
“The failure of ecclesiastical authorities – bishops, religious superiors, priests and others – adequately to address these repellent crimes has rightly given rise to outrage and remains a source of pain and shame for the Catholic community. I myself share those sentiments.”
On Saturday evening, the pope spent more than an hour meeting privately with eight survivors of abuse committed by clerics or church institutions. In a statement, the survivors said Francis “condemned corruption and cover up within the church as ‘caca’. Literally filth as one sees in a toilet,” his translator clarified.
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
yeah, follow Satan instead!
Phew, this guy is a peach. What were the Irish thinking?
Sure, this guy is a progressive jerk, BUT:
The real problem is that the Church has removed itself from the center of society by tolerating a culture of gay, pedophilic priests.
I don’t know how it gets back to its former central position of respect and presumed moral authority going forward.
Aah! The war on Christianity in full bloom.
Varadkar a fine Irish name. Not! Pops was an Indian who lived in Mumbai. This guy is the Nicki Haley of Ireland.
Just wait until Sadiq Khan is the British PM. It’s only a matter of time.
Would not shock me.
More like suicide - who is going to argue that a gay pedophile church should be at the center of society.
The only Catholics left in Ireland are the Polish immigrants.
You are an idiot. Have you ever been to Ireland? Most people are Catholic and most priests are wonderful people.
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