By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist

Pope Benedict XVI has summoned all Irish bishops to Rome next month for a meeting to discuss the clerical abuse scandal.

According to the Irish Catholic, the meeting will take place on Feb. 15-16 Pope Benedict has summoned the Irish bishops to Rome to discuss the clerical abuse scandal that has prompted outrage among Irish Catholics ever since the government published details of the problem in the “Ryan and Murphy” report in November.

This report dealt with how the Dublin archdiocese handled complaints of sexual abuse of children by priests. The report said the archdiocese had had an “obsessive concern with secrecy and the avoidance of scandal” and had “little or no concern for the welfare of the abused child”.

Four Irish bishops have submitted their resignations since its publication.

Next month’s meeting will be similar in nature to one held on Dec. 11 between the Pope and Cardinal Sean Brady and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Ireland. During this meeting, the Pope said he was “deeply disturbed and distressed” after reading the Murphy Report. 

After the February meeting, the bishops will return to their dioceses for Ash Wednesday liturgies on Feb. 17 where a Papal Letter is to be read to their congregations about the scandal and how to move forward.

Vatican insiders say the letter, a highly unusual papal initiative, will not be overly concerned with the administrative problems in the Irish church but will focus on encouraging the faithful and reminding them of the crucial role of the early Irish church in the spread of Christianity.

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