Apostolic visitation to Ireland
Encyclopedia
The Apostolic visitation to Ireland was announced on 20 March 2010 in the pastoral letter written by Pope Benedict XVI
to Irish Catholics after the publication of the Ryan and Murphy Report
s in 2009. In his letter Pope Benedict said that the visitation was to be "Pastoral in nature, the Visitation ‘is intended to assist the local Church on her path of renewal’ (Pastoral Letter of Pope Benedict XVI to the Catholics of Ireland) and is a sign of the Holy Father’s desire, as the Successor of Peter, to offer his pastoral solicitude to the Church in Ireland".
between 1975 and 2004. It said the Church in Ireland had "obsessively" concealed the abuse. The report, issued last year, said one priest admitted abusing more than 100 children. Another said he had abused children every two weeks for more than 25 years. The inquiry will involve visits to churches, seminaries and convents and the questioning of hundreds of people. The investigators will explore the handling of cases of abuse in the past, look into assistance owed to the victims and review procedures for preventing abuse.
A number of Vatican departments including the Secretariat of State, the Congregation for the Clergy
, the Congregation for Catholic Education
, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
as well as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
were involved in the planning of the visitation which will be co-ordinated by the Congregation for Bishops
. In a three-way process, the Curia met separately with the visitors and the Irish bishops, while the visitors may well take the opportunity to meet with the bishops to whose diocese they have been assigned.
On 7 October 2010, Cardinal Marc Ouellet and Archbishop Manuel Monteiro de Castro
, with representatives of the Holy See, held a preparatory meeting with the Apostolic Visitators named by Pope Benedict. At the meeting were Archbishop Michael Neary
of Tuam, along with Cardinal Brady, Archbishop
s Diarmuid Martin
of Dublin and Dermot Clifford of Cashel and Emly for high-level talks with heads of Vatican congregations about the visitation, and met the investigators appointed by Pope Benedict to examine the four Irish archdioceses and "some other as yet unspecified dioceses".
, was to inspect Cardinal Brady's archdiocese of Armagh, and Sean O'Malley, Cardinal Archbishop of Boston, the Dublin archdiocese
. Toronto's Archbishop Thomas Christopher Collins
will investigated Cashel, while Ottawa's Archbishop Terrence Prendergast
looked at the west of Ireland archdiocese of Tuam. An investigation of the state of Irish seminaries was conducted by Archbishop Timothy Dolan
of New York
. The investigators, known as apostolic visitors, were to report their findings directly to Pope Benedict XVI
.
The Visitators were to give particular attention to victims of abuse and their families, but also to meet with and listen to a variety of people, including ecclesiastical authorities, lay faithful and those involved with the crucial work of safeguarding of children”.
Cardinal Brady said he hoped that people would see in time that the apostolic visitation was a genuine attempt to renew the trust of people who had been abused.
, said there was no need to investigate what happened in the past because those facts were well established by investigations such as the Murphy report: "I do think there’s a value in engaging with the visitation. This investigation should be asked to account for Rome’s dishonesty and deceit on foot of these investigations and the responses to the publications of these reports."
, whose main duty will be to help to conduct the one-to-one interviews with the seminarians. Archbishop Dolan will visit 5 institutions: St. Patrick's College, Maynooth; the Pontifical Irish College
, Rome
; Saint Malachy's College, Belfast; All Hallows College
, Dublin; Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy
, Dublin which will be visited only in regard to its academic programmes. The Visitator will examine all aspects of priestly formation. He, or his assistants, will conduct private interviews with all staff members, all seminarians and, where applicable, other parties normally involved in the life of the seminary. It is not his task to meet with victims of abuse who, as noted above, may be instead received by the Visitators of the four Metropolitan Archdioceses. Furthermore, each priest who has graduated from the seminary in the previous three years will be given the opportunity for a private interview.
Sr. Sharon Holland, I.H.M., Fr. Robert Maloney, C.M., Sister Máirin McDonagh, R.J.M. and Fr. Gero McLoughlin, S.J. were appointed to serve as Apostolic Visitators of those Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
with houses in Ireland. The first phase of this Visitation will consist in responding to a Questionnaire which seeks information regarding the involvement of Institutes in cases of abuse, the responses offered to victims, and the compliance of the Institute with the protocols contained in Safeguarding Children, Standards and Guidance Document for the Catholic Church in Ireland. The Questionnaire also seeks to ascertain how each community is dealing with the revelations and their consequences. Additionally it asks what is being done, in the light of past experiences, to assist members in their primary mission of radically witnessing to Christ's presence in the world.
, directed the Irish bishops not to enforce their new policy calling for mandatory reporting of priests who molested children, as likely to lead to successful appeals by priests disciplined without due canonical process. In 1996, the Irish bishops had devised a new set of policies for handling such allegations, including a mandate to inform law-enforcement officials of all credible reports of abuse. However, in January 1997 the then Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland Luciano Storero
sent a letter to the Irish bishops, conveying the decision of the Congregation for Clergy that the policies should not be carried out. Archbishop Storero indicated that priests might successfully appeal to the Congregation for the Clergy against disciplinary action taken in line with the policies. The papal nuncio said that Congregation would “at the appropriate time” provide more complete directions on handling sex-abuse complaints.
The documentary also offers strong support for an Irish prelate who has been the target of savage criticism, and who attempted to resign in protest at the Vatican's policies, and puts a new perspective on the efforts of the Irish hierarchy in general.
was held in Dublin.
The Congregations for Bishops, for Institutes of Consecrated Life and for Catholic Education concurred with the Secretariat of State that the first phase of the Visitation - the inquiry concerning the four metropolitan archdioceses, religious houses and seminaries - should be completed by Easter 2011.
It further stated that the reports of the visitors have been presented to the competent departments of the Roman Curia. It noted that, "as far as the Irish dioceses and seminaries are concerned, the Congregation for Bishops and the Congregation for Catholic Education do not envisage further Apostolic Visitations". The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
had analysed the responses to the questionnaires that were sent to all institutes with houses in Ireland. In line with the method previously adopted, visits in loco to some religious communities were to follow. Indications to the bishops and religious houses for the spiritual renewal were to follow shortly. Finally, the communique stated that the final report will be published in early 2012.
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
to Irish Catholics after the publication of the Ryan and Murphy Report
Murphy Report
The Murphy Report is the brief name of the report of an investigation conducted by government of Ireland into the Sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Dublin...
s in 2009. In his letter Pope Benedict said that the visitation was to be "Pastoral in nature, the Visitation ‘is intended to assist the local Church on her path of renewal’ (Pastoral Letter of Pope Benedict XVI to the Catholics of Ireland) and is a sign of the Holy Father’s desire, as the Successor of Peter, to offer his pastoral solicitude to the Church in Ireland".
Background
The Murphy report showed widespread child abuse by priests in the Dublin archdioceseRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dublin, , is a Roman Catholic archdiocese in eastern Ireland centred around the republic's capital city – Dublin. The see of Dublin was raised to the status of a Metropolitan Province by the Synod of Kells in 1152. Its jurisdiction includes much of the Province of...
between 1975 and 2004. It said the Church in Ireland had "obsessively" concealed the abuse. The report, issued last year, said one priest admitted abusing more than 100 children. Another said he had abused children every two weeks for more than 25 years. The inquiry will involve visits to churches, seminaries and convents and the questioning of hundreds of people. The investigators will explore the handling of cases of abuse in the past, look into assistance owed to the victims and review procedures for preventing abuse.
A number of Vatican departments including the Secretariat of State, the Congregation for the Clergy
Congregation for the Clergy
The Sacred Congregation for the Clergy is the congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for overseeing matters regarding priests and deacons not belonging to religious orders...
, the Congregation for Catholic Education
Congregation for Catholic Education
The Congregation for Catholic Education is the Pontifical congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for: seminaries and houses of formation of...
, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life is the congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for everything which concerns institutes of consecrated life and Society of Apostolic Life regarding their government, discipline, studies, goods, rights, and...
as well as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , previously known as the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition , and after 1904 called the Supreme...
were involved in the planning of the visitation which will be co-ordinated by the Congregation for Bishops
Congregation for Bishops
The Congregation for Bishops is the congregation of the Roman Curia which oversees the selection of new bishops that are not in mission territories or those areas that come under the jurisdiction of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches who deal with the Eastern Catholics, pending papal...
. In a three-way process, the Curia met separately with the visitors and the Irish bishops, while the visitors may well take the opportunity to meet with the bishops to whose diocese they have been assigned.
On 7 October 2010, Cardinal Marc Ouellet and Archbishop Manuel Monteiro de Castro
Manuel Monteiro de Castro
Manuel Monteiro de Castro is the current secretary of the Congregation for Bishops since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 3 July 2009.-Career in Church diplomacy:He was a priest in the Archdiocese of Braga...
, with representatives of the Holy See, held a preparatory meeting with the Apostolic Visitators named by Pope Benedict. At the meeting were Archbishop Michael Neary
Michael Neary (Archbishop)
Michael Neary is an Irish clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the current Archbishop of Tuam.-Early life:Michael Neary was born in Castlebar, County Mayo, and received his early education at St. Patrick's National School, Castlebar and St. Jarlath's College, Tuam. He studied at St...
of Tuam, along with Cardinal Brady, Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
s Diarmuid Martin
Diarmuid Martin
Diarmuid Martin is the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland. He was born in Dublin.-Early life and education:...
of Dublin and Dermot Clifford of Cashel and Emly for high-level talks with heads of Vatican congregations about the visitation, and met the investigators appointed by Pope Benedict to examine the four Irish archdioceses and "some other as yet unspecified dioceses".
Visitors
Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the Cardinal-Archbishop Emeritus of WestminsterRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in England. The archdiocese consists of all the London boroughs north of the River Thames and west of the River Lea, together with the towns southwest of Staines and Sunbury-on-Thames and...
, was to inspect Cardinal Brady's archdiocese of Armagh, and Sean O'Malley, Cardinal Archbishop of Boston, the Dublin archdiocese
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dublin, , is a Roman Catholic archdiocese in eastern Ireland centred around the republic's capital city – Dublin. The see of Dublin was raised to the status of a Metropolitan Province by the Synod of Kells in 1152. Its jurisdiction includes much of the Province of...
. Toronto's Archbishop Thomas Christopher Collins
Thomas Christopher Collins
Thomas Christopher Collins is a Canadian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the tenth and current Archbishop of Toronto, having previously served as Bishop of Saint Paul in Alberta and Archbishop of Edmonton .-Early life and education:Collins was born in Guelph, Ontario, the son of the...
will investigated Cashel, while Ottawa's Archbishop Terrence Prendergast
Terrence Prendergast
Terrence Thomas Prendergast, SJ is Archbishop of Ottawa, Canada. He was formerly Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto and Archbishop of Halifax.-Early life:...
looked at the west of Ireland archdiocese of Tuam. An investigation of the state of Irish seminaries was conducted by Archbishop Timothy Dolan
Timothy Dolan
Timothy Michael Dolan is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He is the tenth and current Archbishop of New York, having previously served as Archbishop of Milwaukee and Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis ....
of New York
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York covers New York, Bronx, and Richmond counties in New York City , as well as Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties in New York state. There are 480 parishes...
. The investigators, known as apostolic visitors, were to report their findings directly to Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
.
The Visitators were to give particular attention to victims of abuse and their families, but also to meet with and listen to a variety of people, including ecclesiastical authorities, lay faithful and those involved with the crucial work of safeguarding of children”.
Cardinal Brady said he hoped that people would see in time that the apostolic visitation was a genuine attempt to renew the trust of people who had been abused.
Response
Survivors gave a mixed reaction to the announcement of the details of the visitation. Campaigner Marie Collins said she would meet one of the apostolic visitators, Cardinal O’Malley of Boston, if she was asked, but she had not been approached yet. Brady welcomed the news that Ms Collins was willing to engage with the visitation. Colm O'GormanColm O'Gorman
Colm O'Gorman is an Irishman from County Wexford, founder of One in Four, former senator, and current executive director of Amnesty International in Ireland...
, said there was no need to investigate what happened in the past because those facts were well established by investigations such as the Murphy report: "I do think there’s a value in engaging with the visitation. This investigation should be asked to account for Rome’s dishonesty and deceit on foot of these investigations and the responses to the publications of these reports."
November 2010 press release
On 12 November 2010, the Press Office of the Holy See announced that "The Visitation will identify whether the mutual relationship of the various components of the local Church, seminaries and religious communities is now in place, in order to sustain them on the path of profound spiritual renewal already being pursued by the Church in Ireland. It also has the goal of verifying the effectiveness of the present processes used in responding to cases of abuse and of the current forms of assistance provided to the victims. It will not be an investigation into individual cases of abuse nor a trial to judge past events. The Visitators will have to identify the explicit problems which may require some assistance from the Holy See". Importantly the press release noted that "The Visitation will in no way interfere with the ordinary activity of local magistrates, nor with the activity of the Commissions of Investigation established by the Irish Parliament nor with the work of any legislative authority, which has competence in the area of prevention of abuse of minors. The Visitation does not seek to replace the legitimate authority of the local Bishops or Religious Superiors, who maintain responsibility in the handling of cases of abuse". This was seen to be in response to some complaints that canon law was seen to supersed civil law, which some argued led to greater cover up and further abuse. The release made clear tha the visitors would "monitor how well the guidelines of Safeguarding Children, Standards and Guidance Document for the Catholic Church in Ireland, commissioned and produced in February 2009 by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church, are functioning and how they may be better implemented and improved."Seminaries and religious houses
The note confirms that the Apostolic Visitator for the Irish Seminaries is the Most Reverend Timothy M. Dolan, archbishop of New York. He will be assisted by some clerics, approved by the Congregation for Catholic EducationCongregation for Catholic Education
The Congregation for Catholic Education is the Pontifical congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for: seminaries and houses of formation of...
, whose main duty will be to help to conduct the one-to-one interviews with the seminarians. Archbishop Dolan will visit 5 institutions: St. Patrick's College, Maynooth; the Pontifical Irish College
Pontifical Irish College
The Pontifical Irish College is a Roman Catholic seminary for the training and education of priests, in Rome.-Foundation and early history:Towards the close of the sixteenth century, Pope Gregory XIII had sanctioned the foundation of an Irish college in Rome, and had assigned a large sum of money...
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
; Saint Malachy's College, Belfast; All Hallows College
All Hallows College
All Hallows College is a Roman Catholic college located in Drumcondra, Dublin, Ireland. All Hallows is one of six linked colleges of Dublin City University, meaning that the college's degrees are validated and accredited by the university.-History:...
, Dublin; Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy
Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy
The Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy is an institution of higher education and research, located in Dublin, Ireland. Milltown is run by the Jesuits and is located in Milltown/Ranelagh in Dublin...
, Dublin which will be visited only in regard to its academic programmes. The Visitator will examine all aspects of priestly formation. He, or his assistants, will conduct private interviews with all staff members, all seminarians and, where applicable, other parties normally involved in the life of the seminary. It is not his task to meet with victims of abuse who, as noted above, may be instead received by the Visitators of the four Metropolitan Archdioceses. Furthermore, each priest who has graduated from the seminary in the previous three years will be given the opportunity for a private interview.
Sr. Sharon Holland, I.H.M., Fr. Robert Maloney, C.M., Sister Máirin McDonagh, R.J.M. and Fr. Gero McLoughlin, S.J. were appointed to serve as Apostolic Visitators of those Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
Society of Apostolic Life
A society of apostolic life is a group of men or women within the Catholic Church who have come together for a specific purpose. Unlike members of an institute of consecrated life , members of apostolic societies do not make religious vows...
with houses in Ireland. The first phase of this Visitation will consist in responding to a Questionnaire which seeks information regarding the involvement of Institutes in cases of abuse, the responses offered to victims, and the compliance of the Institute with the protocols contained in Safeguarding Children, Standards and Guidance Document for the Catholic Church in Ireland. The Questionnaire also seeks to ascertain how each community is dealing with the revelations and their consequences. Additionally it asks what is being done, in the light of past experiences, to assist members in their primary mission of radically witnessing to Christ's presence in the world.
2011 Documentary
On 17 January 2011, an Irish television documentary revealed that in 1997, Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, then Prefect of the Congregation for the ClergyCongregation for the Clergy
The Sacred Congregation for the Clergy is the congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for overseeing matters regarding priests and deacons not belonging to religious orders...
, directed the Irish bishops not to enforce their new policy calling for mandatory reporting of priests who molested children, as likely to lead to successful appeals by priests disciplined without due canonical process. In 1996, the Irish bishops had devised a new set of policies for handling such allegations, including a mandate to inform law-enforcement officials of all credible reports of abuse. However, in January 1997 the then Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland Luciano Storero
Luciano Storero
Luciano Storero was born in Pinasca, Italy. He served in the Diplomatic Service of the Holy See.He was ordained a priest on 29 June 1949. On 22 November 1969 he was appointed Titular Archbishop of Tigimma and the same day was appointed an Apostolic Delegate...
sent a letter to the Irish bishops, conveying the decision of the Congregation for Clergy that the policies should not be carried out. Archbishop Storero indicated that priests might successfully appeal to the Congregation for the Clergy against disciplinary action taken in line with the policies. The papal nuncio said that Congregation would “at the appropriate time” provide more complete directions on handling sex-abuse complaints.
The documentary also offers strong support for an Irish prelate who has been the target of savage criticism, and who attempted to resign in protest at the Vatican's policies, and puts a new perspective on the efforts of the Irish hierarchy in general.
Scope and conculsion
It was believed that Vatican personnel wanted a broader investigation and not just a look at child abuse. The visitation was expected to take a year to complete. It was thought that the bishops would like it finished before 2012 when the International Eucharistic CongressInternational Eucharistic Congress
In the Roman Catholic church, a Eucharistic Congress is a gathering of clergy, religious, and laity to bear witness to the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, which is an important Roman Catholic doctrine...
was held in Dublin.
The Congregations for Bishops, for Institutes of Consecrated Life and for Catholic Education concurred with the Secretariat of State that the first phase of the Visitation - the inquiry concerning the four metropolitan archdioceses, religious houses and seminaries - should be completed by Easter 2011.
June 2011 communique
On 6 June 2011 the Press Office of the Holy See released a communique restating the aims of the visitation examining "whether the mutual relationship of the various components of the local Church, seminaries and religious communities is now in place, in order to sustain them on the path of profound spiritual renewal already being pursued by the Church in Ireland"; "the effectiveness of the present processes used in responding to cases of abuse" and "the current forms of assistance provided to the victims".It further stated that the reports of the visitors have been presented to the competent departments of the Roman Curia. It noted that, "as far as the Irish dioceses and seminaries are concerned, the Congregation for Bishops and the Congregation for Catholic Education do not envisage further Apostolic Visitations". The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life is the congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for everything which concerns institutes of consecrated life and Society of Apostolic Life regarding their government, discipline, studies, goods, rights, and...
had analysed the responses to the questionnaires that were sent to all institutes with houses in Ireland. In line with the method previously adopted, visits in loco to some religious communities were to follow. Indications to the bishops and religious houses for the spiritual renewal were to follow shortly. Finally, the communique stated that the final report will be published in early 2012.