Scandal criminal: Vatican

The Vatican on Tuesday described as “sinful” and “criminal” the conduct of Irish priests involved in the child abuse scandal the extent of which was revealed by a judicial commission in 2009.

In a strongly-worded report, the Vatican said the entire Christian community felt a sense of “shame” and “betrayal” over the scandal which had “opened many wounds” and caused lay people to lose “trust in their pastors”.

“With a great sense of pain and shame, it must be acknowledged that within the Christian community innocent young people were abused by clerics and religious to whose care they had been entrusted, while those who should have exercised vigilance often failed to do so effectively,” it said.

Indicting the senior clergy for their role in an attempted cover-up, it said “those who should have exercised vigilance often failed to do so effectively”. The report is a summary of the findings of seven teams of Vatican-appointed church leaders who visited Ireland following the publication of Judge Yvonne Murphy's findings, known as the “Murphy Report”, which revealed widespread of child abuse by a “significant” number of Irish priests over 70 years. It also documented attempts by the Church to cover-up the scandal. The Pope expressed his “horror” over the Commission's findings.

Cardinal Sean Brady, Primate of Ireland, welcomed the report as a “helpful snapshot of a key moment on the ongoing journey of renewal”. He said Irish bishops wished to associate themselves with “the sense of pain and shame” expressed in the report.

Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin said the extent of the abuse that happened in the church was “shattering”.

Campaigners, however, expressed disappointment with the report. Colm O'Gorman who sued the Catholic Church over the abuse he suffered as a child called it “farcical”. He said the Church had “be dragged kicking and screaming through the courts of opinion and the courts of law”.