Pope Benedict XVI has urged Ireland's bishops to restore the "spiritual and moral credibility" of the Catholic Church following two days of talks aimed at confronting a child sex abuse scandal that has shaken the Irish church.

In a statement from the Vatican City on Tuesday, Benedict said such acts of abuse were "not only a heinous crime, but also a grave sin which offends God and wounds the dignity of the human person created in his image.

"[Benedict] challenged the bishops to address the problems of the past with determination and resolve, and to face the present crisis with honesty and courage," the statement added.

Ireland's 24 standing bishops, summoned to the Vatican to address the crisis, told the pontiff of their "shame" at the scandal and vowed to cooperate with authorities in Ireland.

In a statement of their own, they said "significant measures have now been taken to ensure the safety of children and young people" involved in church-led activities.

Murphy Commission

The Irish church is facing criticism from a commission headed by Judge Yvonne Murphy, which in November accused it of mishandling more than 300 sex abuse claims in the archdiocese of Dublin between 1975 and 2004.

Four Irish bishops have already tendered their resignations as a consequence of the Murphy Commission's revelations. To date, the pope has accepted one of the resignations.

The Vatican statement did not mention specific disciplinary measures to be taken against the remaining three clerics involved in the scandal. The resignations of the clerics and other church officials in Ireland "were not discussed," said chief Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi.

"That is a separate procedure," he said, stressing that the two-day meeting in Rome was "only a step of a long process."

cmk/AFP/dpa
Editor: Chuck Penfold