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The Pope meets 24 Irish bishops at the Vatican. The Pope held two meetings with the bishops on Monday



Pope Benedict XVI has told Irish Roman Catholic bishops sexual abuse of children by priests is a "heinous crime", the Vatican says.

The Pope summoned the 24 bishops to the Vatican to discuss their response to a child sex abuse scandal.

He said Irish bishops had to face the scandal with courage and resolve, and act to restore the Church's "moral credibility".

Last year the Irish Church admitted covering up abuse for decades.

Two state-ordered reports revealed how abuse was rife in many Catholic-run children's institutions in the Republic of Ireland, and how priests who were accused of abuse were just moved by bishops to new parishes.

Investigators found that Church officials compiled confidential files on more than 100 parish priests accused of sexual abuse, but that the files were kept secret.

Victims of abuse have accused the Church of putting its own reputation ahead of concern for abused children.

'Honesty and Courage'

Following three meetings with the bishops over two days, the Vatican released a statement saying: "For his part, the Holy Father observed that the sexual abuse of children and young people is not only a heinous crime, but also a grave sin which offends God and wounds the dignity of the human person created in his image.

"While realising that the current painful situation will not be resolved quickly, he challenged the Bishops to address the problems of the past with determination and resolve, and to face the present crisis with honesty and courage.

"He also expressed the hope that the present meeting would help to unify the Bishops and enable them to speak with one voice in identifying concrete steps aimed at bringing healing to those who had been abused, encouraging a renewal of faith in Christ and restoring the Church's spiritual and moral credibility."

The Vatican also said that the Irish bishops promised to co-operate with civil authorities, "to guarantee that the Church's standards, policies and procedures represent best practice in this area".

'Clinging On'

Victims of abuse by Irish priests have written a letter to the Pope calling for the resignation of bishops "who engaged in this culture of cover-up".

"The lives of thousands of Irish people have been devastated by sexual abuse by priests," the letter said.

Four bishops have already offered their resignations - though only one has been formally accepted.

A spokesman said the issue of resignation was not discussed at the Pope's meetings with the bishops.


That stance was criticised by some victims. Andrew Madden, who was one of the first to expose Irish clerical paedophilia in 1995, said: "It's clear that most of Ireland's bishops should go, because they conspired in covering up heinous crimes."

"Most of them will cling to their positions regardless of the anguish this causes the victims," he told the Associated Press.