The Church followed what was prescribed by psychologists of the time, which was found to be incorrect. The Holy Father recognizes this, and in his Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, he knows that the people within the church acted in error, and he urges the Bishops to correct the wrongs that were done, to prevent this happening in the future.
Quote:
Together with senior officials of the Roman Curia, I listened to what they had to say, both individually and as a group, as they offered an analysis of mistakes made and lessons learned, and a description of the programmes and protocols now in place. Our discussions were frank and constructive. I am confident that, as a result, the bishops will now be in a stronger position to carry forward the work of repairing past injustices and confronting the broader issues associated with the abuse of minors in a way consonant with the demands of justice and the teachings of the Gospel.
...
At the same time, I must also express my conviction that, in order to recover from this grievous wound, the Church in Ireland must first acknowledge before the Lord and before others the serious sins committed against defenceless children. Such an acknowledgement, accompanied by sincere sorrow for the damage caused to these victims and their families, must lead to a concerted effort to ensure the protection of children from similar crimes in the future.
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/bened ... nd_en.htmlalso,
http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/7391EDIT: if anyone wishes to continue this topic, i will be ahppy to do so, but i do not wish the further derail this thread.