Leaders seek Pope’s help to rescue Church in wake of abuse report

POPE Benedict XVI has been asked to help rescue the Catholic Church here from the devastation caused by the Ryan Report on abuse of children in religious institutions.

Primate of All Ireland Cardinal Seán Brady and Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin met with the Pope in Rome last night to explain the scale of the fallout from the report and seek advice on how to regain public confidence.

Of concern to the country’s two most senior Church leaders in seeking the meeting was the Government’s demand that the religious orders that ran the institutions make a substantial contribution towards the compensation and support of abuse survivors.