Our Holy Father has just published a pastoral letter to the Church in Ireland on the subject of the crisis which has emerged from the sexual abuse of children by priests and religious and the failures to adequately respond to this grievous sin.
It was not so many years ago that the same crisis deeply affected the Church in the United States. The Church in Germany (and elsewhere in Europe) is just beginning this same painful self-examination.
I strongly recommend this letter to your reflection. The extraordinary and blunt honesty of the Holy Father’s recollection and his clear view that only prayer, penance, honesty, truthfulness and courageous action can bring about the healing so desperately needed. Here's the link: PASTORAL LETTER OF THE HOLY FATHER POPE BENEDICT XVI TO THE CATHOLICS OF IRELAND
Here's a link to the Child Protection Website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops so you can see how our bishops have reacted to the crisis here in the United States.
