Addressing the legacy of child abuse by priests will be mission impossible for Pope Francis alone, according to the head of the Catholic Church in Ireland.

Archbishop Eamon Martin, the Primate of All Ireland, told Sky News the issue would not disappear because of Francis' visit to Ireland this weekend "and nor should it".

He added: "If you speak to survivors, they're carrying a trauma and they will carry it with them for the rest of their lives.

"We have no right to think that we can leave it behind us."

Pope Francis is due to arrive at Dublin Airport at around 10.30am this morning for a two-day visit.


It is 39 years since the last papal visit to Ireland and the ground beneath the Church has shifted since Pope John Paul II memorably kissed the tarmac on his arrival at the airport.

Colm O'Gorman remembers that period of time for all the wrong reasons. In 1979, he was 14 years old.

Image: Archbishop Eamon Martin, the Primate of All Ireland, said the issue would not disappear

He said: "I sang at mass every Sunday, had been an altar boy, went to a Catholic youth group that took place in a convent, I couldn't have been more embedded and involved with church.

"And about a year and a half after the Pope visited Ireland for the first time, I was raped by a Roman Catholic priest.

"The priest had been ordained four months before the Pope's arrival in Ireland, despite the fact that the Catholic Church knew he had sexually assaulted children," he added.

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Pope Francis has issued an unprecedented apology to victims, but critics say his letter ignores the role of the Vatican in covering up abuse.

"How could this Pope or any other Pope hold bishops to account for doing what it directed them to do?" asked Mr O'Gorman.

"The Vatican directed the cover up. It required the cover up. The Vatican itself needs to be held to account," he insisted.

Image: Colm O'Gorman is a survivor of abuse and now works for Amnesty in Ireland

With 9,000 reported cases of child abuse by priests in Ireland, Archbishop Martin concedes that the Pontiff cannot deal with the issue alone.

"It's a mission for the whole church. For one person, it is impossible," he said.

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"I think the abuse survivors want more than simply words.

"They want to know that he's committed to the change in the structures and to whatever might have facilitated abuse to happen or indeed not to be dealt with properly," he added.

Pope Francis is ostensibly in Ireland to attend the World Meeting of Families - a major global church event focused on promoting family values.

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He will also fulfil a number of other engagements, including meetings with President Michael D Higgins and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, and meet a number of abuse victims in a private meeting amid expectation he will use his public utterances elsewhere to confront the emotive issue.