Congress turnout smaller than expected
Thousands of people are set to attend day two of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin today, which began yesterday with lower than expected attendance and amid renewed calls for the resignation of Cardinal Seán Brady.
Over 12,000 pilgrims turned out for the opening ceremony of the eight-day religious festival in Dublin yesterday, which got underway with an open-air mass, although up to 20,000 people had been expected.
A small group of around 50 protestors from the Irish Survivors of Child Abuse (Irish SOCA) group picketed the congress venue, a specially designed Eucharistic village in the RDS, in protest at the Church's handling of clerical abuse cases in Ireland.
They were calling for the resignation of Cardinal Sean Brady – Primate of All Ireland – who was one of a number of Church officials who was made aware of sex abuse being carried out by paedophile priest Brendan Smyth.
Making his opening address to the gathering yesterday, Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin reflected on the “darker side” of the Church.
“The 50 years since the Second Vatican Council have brought many graces to the Church in Ireland,” said Archbishop Martin.
“But those 50 years have also been marked with a darker side, of sinful and criminal abuse and neglect of those weakest in our society: children, who should have been the object of the greatest care and support and Christ-like love.”
Irish SOCA co-ordinator John Kelly said the Eucharistic Congress was a chance for the Catholic Church to move forward – but that could not happen until the Cardinal resigns.
“The Cardinal’s refusal to resign is a flagrant contradiction of the March 2010 Pastoral Letter to the Catholics of Ireland by Pope Benedict XVI- at section 11 wherein the Pope takes his ’Brother Bishops’ to task for their historical failures and grave errors of judgment in dealing with the crime of child abuse,” said Mr Kelly.
“The Pope himself stated that all this has seriously undermined your credibility and effectiveness and we say those words apply most appropriately to Cardinal Sean Brady.”
The Cardinal was centre of fresh controversy last month after a TV documentary revealed he was given a list of children who were being abused by Fr Smyth.
Cardinal Brady, who was serving as a note taker during a secret investigation into allegations against the priest in the 1970s, came under fire for not informing the children’s parents.
The allegations were kept under wraps and Fr Smyth went on to abuse more children.
Archbishop Martin has been outspoken against the Church in response to revelations of clerical sex abuse involving the late Fr Smyth.
He was jailed in the 1990s for the rape and abuse of children over a 40-year-period.
As the congress – or so-called “spiritual Olympics” of the Catholic Church - got under way, the Archbishop paid respect to those who have suffered at the hands of the institution.
“We recall all those who suffered abuse and who still today bear the mark of that abuse and may well carry it with them for the rest of their lives,” he went on.
“In a spirit of repentance, let us remember each of them in the silence of our hearts.”
Meanwhile organisers have said that Pope Benedict will not be making a live televised address to the gathering, despite having done so at the last event in 2008.
The pontiff is sending a recorded message instead, which will be shown to the 80,000 pilgrims attending the final mass in Croke Park next Sunday.
"That message is en route to us and we know that it's about eight minutes long," said Congress General Secretary Fr Kevin Doran.
"The pope will want to encourage all who are gathered here, and he will also want to challenge us.
"I imagine he will speak something to the Irish people as hosts of the Congress, but he will also be conscious that it is an international event."
