Share
25th August 2018
12:50pm BST
"There are dark aspects of the Catholic Church’s history, as one of our bishops recently said. "We think of the words of the Psalm which tells us that ‘children are a heritage from the Lord’ and we remember the way the failures of both Church and State and wider society created a bitter and broken heritage for so many, leaving a legacy of pain and suffering."
Varadkar went on to speak about the "judgement, severity and cruelty" that has been suffered by women and children in Ireland.
He asked Pope Francis to use his influence to bring justice for the victims of the church in Ireland and across the world.
He said:
"Magdalene Laundries, Mother and Baby Homes, industrial schools, illegal adoptions and clerical child abuse are stains on our State, our society and also the Catholic Church. "Wounds are still open and there is much to be done to bring about justice and truth and healing for victims and survivors.""There can only be zero tolerance for those who abuse innocent children or who facilitate that abuse," said Varadkar. The Taoiseach concluded his address by saying that he hoped Ireland and the church could build a new relationship - "one in which religion is no longer at the centre of our society, but in which it still has an important place." Pope Francis will spend 32 hours in Ireland this weekend. He will give mass to 500,000 people in the Phoenix Park tomorrow.
Explore more on these topics:
Top Story
This is brilliant for Christmas We’re well into December now, your Christmas shopping should be well underway. If you’re looking to make your presents a little more special this year, shoe lovers are in luck. Life Style Sports are offering a free shoe customisation event in Dublin this weekend. Shoppers can go to their Dundrum […]
7h
This is brilliant for Christmas We’re well into December now, your Christmas shopping should be well underway. If you’re looking to make your presents a little more special this year, shoe lovers are in luck. Life Style Sports are offering a free shoe customisation event in Dublin this weekend. Shoppers can go to their Dundrum […]
News
7h
The baby boy was involved in a two-car collision on December 6th A baby boy has sadly passed away in hospital after being injured in a two-car collision in Co. Louth last week. The infant was injured in a two-car collision on the R132 at Dowdallshill in Dundalk, Co. Louth. The incident occurred at around 8.10 […]
News
8h
She opened up about the moment in her new documentary Taylor Swift broke down in tears during her new documentary, End of an Era, as she spoke publicly for the first time about the Southport attack. In July 2024, three young girls were killed during an attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport. […]
News
9h
The University of Glasgow has cautioned students Classic works of children’s literature including Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone feature ‘outdated attitudes and abuse’ according to one of the top universities in the UK. The University of Glasgow issued this warning to the undergraduates in a module called British Children’s Literature. This caution is proof […]
News
1 day ago
The stars of The Hunger Games are returning for the sixth movie Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are returning to the Hunger Games world. The actors, who rose to fame after starring as Katniss and Peeta in The Hunger Games, are now set to star in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. Lawrence will […]
News
1 day ago
Sophie Kinsella has sadly passed away Author Sophie Kinsella has sadly passed away at the age of 55 after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer in 2022. The writer confirmed she was diagnosed with glioblastoma three years ago. The author, whose real name was Madeleine Sophie Wickham, was best known for the […]
News
2 days ago
Luas power outage causes chaos for Dublin city commuters
News
2 days ago
