Primate asks forgiveness following report on Magdalene Laundries in Northern Ireland (Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference)

Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh, the Primate of All Ireland, lamented “the way we stigmatized and harshly judged many vulnerable pregnant women in crisis and treated them and their children in such a cold and uncaring manner.” His comments follow the publication of a report on the past treatment of unwed mothers in institutions in Northern Ireland. (A similar report, issued two weeks ago, examined similar institutions in the Republic of Ireland.)