The Pope has apologised for the abuse committed by catholic clergy. This is to be welcome, but will his words equate to action?
I can only speak from my experience acting for abuse victims seeking redress from the Catholic church, and so far they have faced an uphill struggle. I have not found a willingness to say “sorry” to victims, or an acceptance that compensation should be paid.
Contrary to the “apology” every trick in the book seems to be deployed to avoid accepting responsibility for the abuse committed, and so I wait with interest to see if this tiger has changed its spots.
It has been reported today (12th July 2008) by the BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/) that the Pope will apologise during his visit to Australia for the abuse committed by catholic clergy. Is an apology enough? Maybe for some victims but for many I suspect not.
Alan Collins