David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

First, I join with Senator Conway-Walsh in expressing my horror at the brutal murder of two beautiful, young, intelligent women in this country. We recently passed the Domestic Violence Bill but that is obviously not enough when young women can be just randomly assaulted and killed in the suburbs.

The second matter to which I wish to refer is child abuse within the Roman Catholic Church worldwide. I note the fact that the Archbishop of Adelaide has been convicted of covering up child abuse. He is the highest ranking member of the church to be so convicted. The entire hierarchy of Chile has offered the Pope its resignation on this matter. This is a good Pope. He is a Christ-like man. I think he is absolutely wonderful. That is why I initiated the invitation to him from this House. He learns on the hoof. He first of all dismissed these accusations but when he went to Chile he learned about them and he has since apologised. He invited three of the abuse victims to meet him in Rome. That is a wonderful thing. One of the victims, Juan Carlos Cruz, told the Spanish newspaper El Paisthat the Pope told him during a meeting in the Vatican that the fact that he is gay does not matter. Mr. Cruz said Pope Francis had also told him that God made him this way and loves him this way and it does not matter to him. He said the Pope loves him this way and that he must be happy the way he is. How wonderful. What a magical transformation from the vicious, condemnation we got under the papacy of Pope Francis's two predecessors. I welcome this very much, in particular since last week when I stood in the Phoenix Park at the papal cross holding a message asking the Pope to moderate the language of the catechism on this issue. He certainly seems to me to have gone a considerable way and I welcome that fact.