Pope Francis' visit to Ireland called a ‘powerful moment' for abuse survivors
Pope Francis' visit to Ireland in 2018 was billed as a historic moment of reflection and healing, but for many survivors of clerical abuse, it has been dubbed a missed opportunity – one marked more by disappointment than reconciliation.
The pontiff's two-day trip, which included stops at Knock shrine in County Mayo and a homeless centre in Dublin, was his first to Ireland since becoming head of the Catholic Church, at a time when the country continued to grapple with the legacy of decades of abuse carried out in Church-run institutions.
While Pope Francis did meet with survivors and asked for 'forgiveness for the abuses in Ireland' during a Mass at Phoenix Park, some felt his words lacked the directness and accountability they had long hoped for.
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Among those critical of the Pope's address was Colm O'Gorman, a survivor of clerical abuse and former head of Amnesty International Ireland.
He organised a powerful demonstration at Dublin's Garden of Remembrance to coincide with the papal Mass.
'This was not about a protest,' he told the PA news agency. 'It's just about standing in solidarity with people who have been impacted or hurt in this way."
An estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people took part in the event, which concluded with a silent walk to Sean McDermott Street – the site of the last Magdalene Laundry to close.
The notorious laundries, run by religious orders, were known for incarcerating women and forcing them to work under harsh conditions.
O'Gorman described the silent walk as 'extraordinarily powerful'.
He said: 'I'll never forget that silent walk, it was just incredibly powerful. Walking down O'Connell Street and turning left to head up towards Sean McDermott Street. And I was walking by, there was a hotel there at the time, and I heard the clink of somebody's spoon going into a coffee cup.'
Despite moments of solemn reflection, he says the visit revealed the public's shifting relationship with the Church. 'There were massive gaps in the crowd,' he said of the Pope's motorcade. 'At points, there was nobody lining the route. It was an early sign that people weren't there waving flags like they used to.'
While O'Gorman praised Pope Francis for his compassion towards refugees and his more progressive tone on social issues, including women's rights and LGBT+ communities, he said the Church's failure to offer a full apology for abuse remains a serious failing.
O'Gorman believes the Vatican has yet to fully acknowledge its role in covering up abuse.
He said: He said: 'I have yet to see a papal apology for abuse anywhere, and it's always very frustrating when the statements that various Popes have made over the years are presented as an apology.
'What popes generally do – and that includes, sadly, Pope Francis – is they speak of their regret and sadness, or sorrow at the hurt caused to so many people. That's not an apology. It's an expression of sorrow.
'No Pope has ever done that. The Vatican has never, ever, ever acknowledged its central role in not just permitting these cover ups to happen, but in directing these cover ups.'
Seven years on, many survivors are still waiting for what they consider a true reckoning from the highest levels of the Church.
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