Vatican City, Oct 17, 2012 / 23:13 pm
Ireland's delegation to the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization presented ways to re-evangelize a country shaken by abuse scandals, undermined by poor catechesis and assaulted by secularism.
"(T)he Church must now speak with a voice which is hopeful yet humble, confident yet compassionate, with a claim to authority that must be more evidently rooted in the Gospel and the love of Christ," said Bishop Kieran O'Reilly of Killaloe during the Oct. 16 afternoon session of the synod.
"This is the context in which the new evangelization will take place" in Ireland, he stated.
Referring to the abuse scandals, Bishop O'Reilly said the Church in Ireland is living the "recent crises in a dramatic way."