WELLINGTON As Catholics around the world are bombarded with reports in the mainstream media of the clerical sexual abuse scandal, Archbishop John Dew of Wellington has issued a pastoral letter that was read to archdiocesan congregations on Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Archbishop Dew’s letter, issued on March 31, was to be read at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper or Good Friday services. It refers to the increasing media coverage of sexual abuse within the Church and particularly the attempts to implicate Pope Benedict XVI in the scandal.
"I believe it is my duty to reach out to you as your bishop and as your brother within the family of the Catholic community" while such stories are circulating, Archbishop Dew said.
He issued an apology to victims of abuse at the hands of priests, religious and Catholic laity not the first time he has issued such an apology. He also apologised to the faithful in Wellington archdiocese for "the humiliation, embarrassment and disappointment you feel".
Here is the full text of the letter:
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
In my regular Newsletter to the Priests, Lay Pastoral Leaders and Archdiocesan Department Directors I have quoted Archbishop Vincent Nichols of the Archdiocese of Westminster.
