POPE UNDER FIRE: Pope Francis' speech was 'disgraceful' and contained 'extraordinary deflection', victims claim
“It’s mind-boggling to me that to ask the Pope to tell the damn truth is a radical thing to suggest.”
Clerical abuse survivor Colm O’Gorman has described the speech by Pope Francis at Dublin Castle as an “incredible missed opportunity”. Speaking after he attended the civic reception for the Pontiff, Mr Gorman said: “It is staggering to me that in 2018 we are still asking a Pope to take responsibility, not for his own actions necessarily but for the actions of the institution that he heads.
Asked whether he had hoped the Pope would go further in his comments, the head of Amnesty in Ireland said he should have looked to talk to the people of Ireland. “It’s a huge shame. Frankly it’s rather disgraceful. This is about criminality at the highest level within an institution,” Mr O'Gorman said. He added: “The Vatican has directed, implemented and instituted a cover of the crimes of clergy, including the rape and abuse of children, of women and vulnerable adults across the world. “When he talks about his sadness and grief at the harm that I and others suffered, what does that mean? I was thought as a toddler by my parents that if I wanted to apologise for something, the first thing I had to do was take responsibility for my own actions.” Protesters have gathered along Dame Street in the city centre and more are expected to line the streets as Pope Francis makes his way throughout the city later today.
One protester, from Pennsylvania, where the most recent scandal on mass child sexual abuse, has cast a shadow on this Papal visit, was in attendance, alongside Irish and Northern Irish victims of clerical sexual abuse. The woman said she had also been a victim as a child though her case had run out of time in the legal system. "So much has been covered up by bishops in the Catholic Church," the woman said. "I was so small when I was abused, not by a member of the Church but it was covered up by the Church. "Everyone knew, my mother, the teachers in school, everyone but that was back in the 70s and everyone was so afraid of the Church. "It was important for me and other victims, to be here today, to use Pope Francis' visit as a stage for protest, to force change in the Church - that bishops must no longer be allowed to cover up child abuse. "Ireland has come so far, with the 'Repeal' movement and LGBTI marriage rights and now in Ireland we are going to send a message to the Church together."
Richard Duffy, who brandished a sign bearing the words “arrest the pope” said that the Pope is "guilty of crimes and should be held to account". “Abuse and the cover-up of crimes is ongoing. There are plenty of people all the way up who deserve to be arrested,” he said, adding that he believed that anyone in the Church from the position of Cardinal up has been involved in some form of cover-up. He added that he respected and admired the core Catholic message of love and compassion but added: “It’s those who believe in it who are most betrayed by the Vatican.”