Catholic Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has released information concerning the extent of priest sex abuse in the Archdiocese of Dublin. According to the Archbishop, 102 Catholic priests have been accused by 350 victims. Obviously, those are numbers of victims who have had the courage to come forward. God only knows how many still suffer in silence.

Martin, a Vatican diplomat who took over the Archdiocese in 2003, was noticeable absent from the list of newly appointed cardinals by Benedict XVI. It had been widely speculated prior to the appointments, that Martin would receive a red hat from the Pope.
The priest sex abuse scandal has rocked the Irish church for two decades and has led many Catholics to question or abandon the Church. Ireland has one of the fastest growing economies in Europe and its rapid secularization coupled with its robust economy has led to a general decline in the Church’s influence in the traditionally Catholic country.