Benedict: ‘Mystery’ why holy committed abuse

It remains a mystery why people who regularly received the eucharist and confessed their sins abused people and undermined the credibility of the Church’s message, Pope Benedict said yesterday.

In an address reproduced below, he told those attending the closing ceremony of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin’s Croke Park that the Church had been shaken in an appalling way by the revelation of sins by priests against people entrusted to their care.

“Instead of showing them the path towards Christ, towards God; instead of bearing witness to His goodness, they abused people and undermined the credibility of the Church’s message.