Irish church tries to rebuild after sex abuse, still haunted by past and demanding truth

Vatican City, Vatican - The archbishop of Dublin, a leading voice for reform following Ireland’s devastating Catholic church sex abuse scandal, says the church is trying to rebuild even as it confronts the ghosts of its past.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin told a Vatican briefing Thursday that he hoped an upcoming church congress in Dublin would show the world that the Irish church is “alive and vital and anxious to set out on a path of renewal.”

Martin’s comments follow new revelations over how the country’s primate, Cardinal Sean Brady, handled the case of a serial abuser in the 1970s — revelations that have sparked new calls for his resignation.

While demanding the truth come out, Martin said the church must look ahead and try to rebuild.