Catholic Communications Office letter submitted, on behalf of the four archbishops, to ‘The Irish Catholic’ for publication
11 October 2010
The Editor
The Irish Catholic
Irish Farm Centre
Bluebell
Dublin 12
Re: Front page headline and article in Irish Catholic newspaper October 7, 2010
Dear Editor,
I am writing to you on behalf of the four Catholic Archbishops of Ireland concerning the front page headline and article which appeared in The Irish Catholic newspaper of 7 October 2010. Your headline and report were seriously misleading.
The Bishops have welcomed the Apostolic Visitation without qualification and recognise in it an example of how the Pope wishes to support the Irish Church at a difficult time. The meeting in Rome last week with Senior Vatican officials, the four Apostolic Visitators and the four Irish Archbishops was positive and constructive. There was absolutely no attempt on the part of the bishops, as was suggested by your headline and article, to try to restrict the mandate of the Apostolic visitors.
The bishops have publicly pledged their full co-operation and support for the visitation which was announced in March by Pope Benedict in his Pastoral Letter to the Catholics of Ireland:
“Furthermore, having consulted and prayed about the matter, I intend to hold an Apostolic Visitation of certain dioceses in Ireland, as well as seminaries and religious congregations. Arrangements for the Visitation, which is intended to assist the local Church on her path of renewal, will be made in cooperation with the competent offices of the Roman Curia and the Irish Episcopal Conference. The details will be announced in due course.”
Pastoral Letter of Pope Benedict XVI to the Catholics of Ireland
Mr Martin Long
Director
Catholic Communications Office
Columba Centre
Maynooth
Co Kildare
ENDS
Martin Long, Director of Communications 086 172 7678