Michael Kelly

The head of the independent child protection watchdog in the Catholic Church has called for a national day of reparation and urged bishops to hold assemblies of priests, religious and lay people to renew the Church.

Writing in The Irish Catholic this week, John Morgan, who is chairman of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church (NBSCCC) called for an annual 'Reparation Sunday'. The event, he said, is ''primarily to help bind the wounds of all who suffered child abuse perpetrated within the Church - they are Christ's wounds and therefore they are our wounds too.

''Such a day of reparation must also lead to embracing the spiritual needs of all in our society who have been abused in childhood, and their families,'' he said.

Mr Morgan goes on to call on each bishop to ''gather his people in an annual and broadly based ecclesial convention of his diocese.

''It should be held in the cathedral church. It should fill the cathedral church with both lay and ordained delegates from parishes and those involved in all diocesan ministry work.

''It should involve the local Church in becoming more and more a living and active community in planning pastoral initiatives from one convention to the next and reviewing the results of initiatives undertaken,'' he said.

Mr Morgan called on such an assembly to ''help develop in parishes a consciousness of belonging to the People of God. It should encourage and assist parishes to become 'listening centres of the Word'.

''It must also, critically, address adequate formation in the faith,'' he said.

He said: ''All this will demand a change in mind-set particularly concerning lay people - no longer just collaborators of the clergy but truly recognised and accepting their role as co-responsible for the Church's being and action.

Mr Morgan said he believed that the Church has ''much to learn'' from abuse victims. ''Survivors of abuse repeatedly request that their Church would willingly offer spiritual support for those who wish it. We urgently need a more structured response to ensure that everyone abused - who wishes it - is listened to with love and care.''