Taoiseach Micheál Martin met with Pope Leo on May 22 in the Papal Library to discuss both nurturing peace at home and in wars in the Middle East and Sudan and the topic of clerical abuse. Following the 45 minute meeting, Mr Martin told reporters he sensed the pontiff’s “genuine desire for an end to the wars that are happening in the Middle East and the war in Sudan, in particular, and Ukraine” and his urgency in trying to “get the world to move in a different direction to the one that’s moving in at the moment, which is one of increasing conflict and war.”
While the two leaders did not discuss the specifics of these wars, Mr Martin said they spoke about peace and reconciliation in Ireland. The Taoiseach noted that Pope Leo was “interested in the Irish experience”, specifically the task of nurturing and sustaining peace, which Mr Martin referred to as the “more difficult task”.
Moving on to the discussion of clerical abuse, Mr Martin shared his request to the Pope that “every effort would be made to get the religious orders to engage proactively on the matter of redress.”
“We discussed the issue of trauma itself, that it’s not something that [is resolved through] one act or one engagement,” said the Taoiseach about the conversation with the pontiff. “He’s very aware of that, that this is an enduring programme of work that doesn’t begin with a commission of inquiry or acknowledgement of guilt, but that it has to be worked on constantly and on a continuing basis.”
