Archbishop Eamon Martin says Church has no longer trust of Catholics in wake of child sex abuse scandals
Derry-born Archbishop Eamon Martin blamed clerical sex abuse, which he called “heinous crimes”.
He made the comments during a keynote address on the first full day of the World Meeting of Families in Dublin.
The Pope will address the issue when he arrives in Dublin at the weekend during the gathering of the World Meeting of Families.
On Wednesday, Archbishop Martin focused on the importance of family life, and stuck rigidly to the Church’s teaching that marriage is strictly between a man and a woman.
However, the Primate of all Ireland admitted the institution faced a challenge to get its message across in the modern world.
He said: “In the aftermath of child abuse scandals and other shameful episodes of the past, there are those who feel they can no longer trust our message.
“Perhaps because they have been directly hurt and betrayed in their families by their experience of Church, or because the revelations of such heinous crimes have shocked them to the core.
“We must work together with all people of goodwill to encourage the state to support the family, and especially the uniqueness of the faithful and exclusive union between a married man and a woman as a cherished space for the bearing and upbringing of children.”
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