A booklet "Feedback from the Listen Sessions in the Diocese of Ossory May 2010" is being distributing at churches throughout the diocese.
The publication summarises the findings from the recent listening sessions in the diocese where people were invited to express their feelings in the aftermath of the Ryan and Murphy Reports and Pope Benedict's letter to the Catholics of Ireland following those Reports.
The document outlines the views expressed on such topics as Church leadership, the role of the laity within the Church, the Ryan and Murphy Reports, the structure of the Church, as well as hopes and expectations for the way forward. The views ranged from anger at the handling of the clerical/religious child abuse scandal by the Catholic hierarchy to appreciation for the work of local priests at parish level.
The booklet also contains a letter from Bishop Seamus Freeman which outlines the next stage in the process of responding to the reports and the Papal letter.
“The intention is for the Diocesan Pastoral Council and the Deanery Pastoral Councils to identify and prioritise the next steps to be taken in this healing process, in order to respond in an adequate way to the hurt and scandal revealed by the Murphy and Ryan Reports,” said Bishop Freeman in his letter.
