Pope Promises Action Against Clerical Sex Abuse/Associated Press/Victims Call for Removal of Bishops Who Shielded Abusers

Pope promises action against clerical sex abuse
By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press Writer
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_VATICAN_CHURCH_ABUSE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2010-04-21-06-33-56
"I shared with them their suffering, and emotionally prayed with them, assuring them of church action," Benedict said.
"Neither Benedict nor the Vatican has elaborated on what action or measures are being considered"...
"...Victims advocates have demanded the Vatican take stronger action and remove the bishops who shielded known abusers, shuffling them around from diocese to diocese rather than reporting them to police"...
"Three Irish government-ordered investigations published from 2005 to 2009 have documented how thousands of Irish children suffered rape, molestation and other abuse by priests in their parishes and by nuns and brothers in boarding schools and orphanages. Irish bishops did not report a single case to police until 1996 after victims began to sue the church."___
Associated Press writer Shawn Pogatchnik contributed to this report from Dublin.
It is time for the Pope to state clearly that he and his brother bishops are accountable for their failures in the sex abuse crisis. Otherwise, this global sex abuse crisis will continue to erupt like a volcano spewing destruction in its path. Unless there is structural change,beginning with a truth commission, and changes such as the end of mandatory celibacy, married priests and women priests, the following actions by the institutional church will not heal the gaping wound that has destroyed the hierarchy's moral credibility and devastated thousands of lives of innocent victims of sexual abuse. The people of God have been betrayed by the hierarchy and the Vatican. The first step is admitting the magnitude of the problem and taking responsibility for its devastating consequences. All Catholics are responsible for reformng our church because we are the church.
Roman Catholic Womenpriests are working to transform the hierarchical model and create a partnership model in inclusive communiities with people wth whom we serve. Bridget Mary Meehan