An Irishman named Diarmuid Martin says the Catholic Church in Ireland has reached a breaking point, a crisis that he says results from the sexual abuse of children by priests and the cover-up by the Church. Martin has provided tens of thousands of pages of evidence against specific priests, and his words and actions carry extraordinary weight. That's because Diarmuid Martin is the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin. Bob Simon reports.




The following script is from "The Archbishop of Dublin" which aired on March 4, 2012. Bob Simon is the correspondent. Tom Anderson, producer.

The head of the Catholic Church may be in Rome, but its heart has always been in Ireland. From the early fifth century, when Saint Patrick was named a bishop and started converting the Irish, Catholicism has been more than a religion. It's been a culture and a way of life.

But in recent years - the faith of the Irish has been sorely tested, not their faith in God necessarily, but their faith in the Church, after several damning investigations provided appalling detail on the sexual abuse of children by priests.

For decades, the outrage was covered up and the priests were largely protected. An Irishman named Diarmuid Martin would not disagree with any of this. He has dared to publicly criticize the Church, and his words carry a lot of clout because Diarmuid Martin is the archbishop of Dublin.

Bob Simon: You have said that the Church in Ireland has reached its breaking point.

Archbishop Martin: It has. It has reached a breaking point. It's at a very difficult stage.

Simon: To what extent, archbishop, do you think this crisis in the church is due to the sexual scandals?

Martin: Oh, enormously.

There's overwhelming evidence that the Church hierarchy was not only aware of the sexual abuse, but did little about it. The Dublin Archdiocese knew who the predator priests were, even wrote reports about them but then locked up the files. Investigators on a state panel, the Murphy Commission, asked for the files, but the Church refused until Diarmuid Martin became archbishop.

Martin: I provided the Murphy Commission investigation into Dublin Diocese over 65,000 documents. And the material was there. It was in my archives.

The documents revealed that one priest admitted abusing over a hundred children. Another said he abused children twice a month for 25 years. Archbishop Martin believes thousands of children suffered similar fates.

Martin: Abuse isn't-- it isn't-- it isn't just the, you know, the actual sexual acts, which are horrendous, but sexual abuse of a child is-- it's a total abuse of power. It's actually saying to a child, "I control you." And that is saying to the child, "You're worthless."

To find out how small parishes have been affected by the scandal, we went to the village of Allihies on the Beara Peninsula on the southwestern coast. It doesn't get more Irish than this. No one we talked to was aware of any abuse here, but even so the parish is required to follow strict new church regulations designed to protect children. Hard to believe but priests are now never even allowed to be alone with a child. An adult supervisor has to be there at all times. Monica Polly is on the church council.

Monica Polly: They never take the children out on their own, they never speak with the children on their own, there's always somebody with them.

Under the new regulations, drawn up by Ireland's bishops, any allegation of abuse has to be reported to civil authorities. And any priest accused of abuse has to step down while the charge is being investigated.

Polly: To be honest, I don't think we've seen it all yet.

Simon: Really?

http://m.cbsnews.com/fullstory.rbml?catid=57390125&feed_id=0&videofeed=36

Imagine the outrage if these were muslims. It would be a 24/7 propaganda bonanza.

just the tip of the iceberg




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJgi46iTXVw&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXuOlDNZJis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDKMV-rC3Eo&feature=related

Speaking of 1%ers thats the percentage of the ones who got caught,there's still the other 99%ers.Now thats scary.

its sad really

I imagine its this way with any position of 'authority'
some become cops because they are bullies
some become politicians for the same reason
some become stepdads/stepmoms to abuse children
and so it is, unfortunately, in the church


...perhaps they could do psychological evaluations on priests before they are ordained,,,just to diminish the odds a bit

Personaly I think they should do away with that celibacy thing let the priests marry women and lead a normal life.

All they have to do is stop tolerating it and covering it up. Turn the suspects over to the police. The whole damned Catholic Church hierarchy should be prosecuted for these cover ups. It's sickening.

I dont think people become pedophiles because they cant get married

sex and marriage dont have to go together anymore and if breaking rules were a concern, they would be CELIBATE

having sex with children is just as much a violation as having sex with a woman

That is not why they do that. If it was just a matter of celibacy they would be having relationships with grown ups NOT minors.

I think a life time of sexual oppression comes out sideways. A normal man would never consider being a priest knoweing he has to deny his nature. A strong normal family life would be a big help in self control not saying its the only cure for it but it sure would help.

Homo sexuality is rampant in the catholick church. My Gf uncle was a jesuit priest founded a beautifull church was forced out in his eighties even though he is fit and healthy and one of the few priests I know that do not give me thre creeps, anyhow he was offered to become a cardinal if he became a ***** to higher up he turned it down. This is first hand but not exactly in those words.

I can agree with this. Requiring celibacy sets the stage for the acts to be more likely, I think, anyway. If they married that might not eliminate abuse entirely but it would attract more well adjusted individuals as well

I think Harmony, they do evaluate candidates for priesthood...but as you noted some in positions of power abuse - even if they have been thoroughly evaluated such as teachers, police officers, counselors themselves

so evaluation is not enough. I like the new rules, and the idea of married priests

a good point also, but if priests were to marry and these new rules become universal it would reduce the attraction of the profession to those inclined toward child molestation

I think it is wonderful that the church in Ireland is embracing honesty & reform

and I also feel badly for the many many wonderful priests out there who would never do such a thing...

I have never heard of a babtist or mormon or even jewsish sex scandal it seems to be predominate in the one religion thats says you can never marry or have a sexual relationship. go figure

absolutely they should be required to obey civil law - and I like the aspect of the new rules where civil authorities will be involved

I have heard of and read about similar scandals in other religions and other denominations of Christianity...and almost anywhere where power or authority is evident - even high school and college sports coaches have been guilty....teachers at daycares - so before casting your stones in the future....do a little reading

it is a human and societal problem. the Catholic Church is just the ones deciding to clean it up - good for them

and yes, Ruth, it is sickening

I used the word predominantly not sure if I spelled it right but you have to admit I am right, so many scandals involve the cathlick religion far more than any other.

On what do you base this statement?

Sex with adults is readily available to priests who decide to break their vows. It happens all the time. There is no evidence that these men suddenly snap due to a lack of sex and molest minors.

I agree with you that the Catholic Church has a large number of homosexual priests. And a large number of priests who want sex with minors. But this has nothing to do with celibacy rules.

One has nothing to do with the other.

If you are going use that logic we could say its because Catholics have a Pope. None of those other religions do so that must be the connection. It doesn't make sense.

It makes a great deal of sence being a normal man would never entertain the idea of being a priest and deny himself a womans comfort. From the get go your getting people who either are not into a normal sex life or have no sexual desires at all. A pretty grim common denominator. Let me tell you from the moment a man gets his first boner he wants sex its his nature and natural. In times past when catholicks ruled the world it was a way to education and power, in current times its simply weird to ever pursue that carrer path and deny your sexuality.

Again the biggest pedophile sex scandals involve catholick priests its multi national and not just an american phenomena. It is the only religion that denies a man sexuality so your getting a great deal of defects to start with.

I gota go to dinner you can have the last word. Promised myself to be home b seven tonite if I have time I'll check back in if not you can have the final word.

Statistically speaking, a child is 10x as likely to be molested by a teacher as they are by a priest. Teachers are allowed to get married, so does getting married turn a man into a child molester?