Pope hopes abuse letter will help healing

The Pope said today he hoped his forthcoming letter to Irish Catholics on the sex abuse scandal in the Church helps with the process of “repentance, healing and renewal”.

He told his weekly general audience that he would sign the pastoral letter on Friday and send it to the faithful soon thereafter.

Speaking in English, the Pope acknowledged the Church in Ireland had been “severely shaken” as a result of the crisis, and that he himself was “deeply concerned”.

He called Ireland’s bishops to a special Vatican summit last month to discuss the fallout from the crisis. The meeting came before reports mounted about similar sex scandals in the Catholic Church in Germany and elsewhere in Europe.