VATICAN SECRETARY of state Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone yesterday said only “an authentic and sincere humility” could lead to a “true renewal” of the Irish Catholic Church.
Cardinal Bertone made his remarks in a homily in the Basilica of St Peter’s before the keenly anticipated two-day meeting between Pope Benedict and the Irish bishops focusing on the Irish church’s ongoing clerical child abuse crisis.
Speaking directly to the bishops, Cardinal Bertone said: “Trials for the church can come from within and from without . . . Such is the huge trial that your communities are currently undergoing, trials which see some men of the church involved in particularly execrable acts . . .”
Cardinal Bertone called on the Lord to offer the gift of “humility of heart” to the bishops, adding: “Only if we arrive at an authentic and sincere humility can the grace of God truly work deeply for us and thus realise a true renewal.”
The secretary of state, the Vatican equivalent of prime minister, recalled the New Testament story of how Jesus fell asleep during a storm whilst out fishing on the Lake of Galilee with the Apostles.
Recounting how the frightened Apostles woke the Lord, only for Jesus to calm the wind and the waters, Cardinal Bertone added: “Yes, storms do frighten us . . . But from these storms, thanks to the grace of God, there may come the grace of conversion and a stronger faith. When all sense of security fails us and we feel lost, it is easier to entrust ourselves entirely to Him, the Lord.”
Saying that the “struggle against evil is not finished but rather will continue until the end of time”, Cardinal Bertone said the Lord “expects humility and faith of us”, a gift that will be granted by the Mother of the church “for all of you, for all your priests and for the entire people of God in Ireland”.
In the absence of any official communication about this unprecedented meeting, the cardinal’s homily not only set the sombre tone for the discussions but it also indicated that the exchanges between the pope and the Irish church leaders are likely to have been “frank and open and candid”, as indicated on Sunday by Bishop Joseph Duffy.
The cardinal’s comments are all the more significant given that not only is he the pope’s closest and most trusted adviser but also because he is believed to be the Curia figure who first urged Pope Benedict to summon the Irish bishops to Rome. During Curia discussions last month on the possible content of the pope’s forthcoming pastoral letter to the Irish faithful, addressing the clerical sex abuse problem, it was Cardinal Bertone who argued that a letter, in itself, did not represent an adequate response but rather that the Irish bishops should be summoned to Rome for talks.
Earlier, primate of Ireland Cardinal Seán Brady told Vatican Radio that the pope was “very worried” by the implications of the Irish clerical sex abuse “scandal”, adding: “I have come to Rome many times in my life but never with as many prayers as those which have accompanied me this time. I know this is true also for the Holy Father and the Curia . . . I believe the Holy Father is very worried. This meeting has been prepared in great detail but it is only one step on a very long journey. Let us hope that when we return to Ireland, this translates itself into a process of penitence, renewal and reconciliation, for the good of all.”
Though the meeting, and the third session this morning, have taken place in the Sala Bologna in the apostolic palace, far from the prying eyes of the world’s media, the potential international implications of the Ryan and Murphy reports of the last year have not been lost on church commentators.
Most unusually, the Rome bureau of many of the world’s most powerful media organisations, from CNN to Reuters, have been following this particular “Irish” church story with close attention.
The morning’s Mass was not celebrated in the main Basilica of St Peter’s but rather “down below” at the tomb of St Peter which is near to the burial place of Pope John Paul II and numerous other popes. Among those to concelebrate the Mass were cardinals Bertone, Re, Hummes, Levada, Rode and the Irish bishops led by Cardinal Brady and Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin.