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Victims and government slam Papal denial of Cloyne Report

Pope’s spokesman denies cover up in Cork diocese

CATHAL DERVAN,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Thursday, July 21, 2011, 5:14 PM

Updated Thursday, July 21, 2011, 5:14 PM

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Pope Benedict XVI’s spokesman Father Federico Lombardi

A new row has broken out between the Irish government and the Vatican over the report into clerical sex abuse in the diocese of Cork.

Ministers and victim support groups have reacted with anger to denials from the Vatican to the findings in the Cloyne Report that clergy were told not to report abuse claims.

The Report is to be discussed in the Irish parliament on Wednesday with Justice Minister Alan Shatter already critical of comments from a Papal source.

Pope Benedict XVI’s spokesman Father Federico Lombardi went so far as to contradict the findings of the Cloyne Report when he said: “It is somewhat strange to see the Vatican criticized so heavily”.

Even though Fr Lambardi claimed to be speaking in a personal rather than an official capacity, his controversial remarks are seen as the Vatican’s first response to the Cloyne Report.

Fr Lombardi added: “There is no motive to interpret the letter in the way it has been, as an attempt to cover up cases of abuse. There is nothing in the letter which suggests not respecting the laws of the land.”

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Minister Shatter has slammed the comments from Fr Lombardi, ahead of Wednesday’s all-party debate on the Cloyne Report in the Irish parliament.

“These comments are disingenuous. I expected a more considered and formal response from the Vatican,” said Shatter.

Support groups have also slated the comments from the Papal spokesman and claimed they lacked credibility and represented insult to abuse victims.

Maeve Lewis, from the One in Four support group, said: “The response from Rome is completely without substance and nothing short of scandalous.

“The Vatican has to accept that it has been involved in creating a culture for children to be abused.

“Fr Lombardi’s response was further evidence, if needed, that the Vatican’s claim to prioritize the safety of children is completely lacking in credibility.”

In his interview with Radio Vatican, Fr Lombardi said the church wanted ‘truth and a clean-up’ of its operations in Ireland.

He said: “This report is a new step in the long and arduous walk to find the truth. This is a journey the Holy See does not feel apart from.

“Last year Pope Benedict apologized for the pain and suffering of those who had experienced abuse at the hands of priests in Ireland.”

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keneconnor | Jul 27, 2011, 01:23 AM EDT

How proud I once was to be Irish but then we started to worship the Golden Calf. And... well... our man made happiness has not worked out so well has it? We are flat broke. And now we lost our souls and have taken to persecuting the church that Jesus himself founded over things that happened 30, 40 and 50 years ago when times were different. The Church is made up of men and will therefore always be sinful. But she has a proud proud history compared to any other institution though no other human institution has lasted anywhere near 2000 years--the ultimate sign that the gates of hell shall not prevail against Her. Put the secularists in charge as was done last century and tens of millions were killed. The Church should take it as a badge of honor that she is now being persecuted by the ugly, Godless elites in the Irish press.

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Intercessor | Jul 21, 2011, 11:57 AM EDT

How can one tell if anyone from the Vatican is lying?????????????? His lips are moving!!!!! Words from anyone in the Vatican, regarding the Priest Pedophilia Scandal are most often wanting in common sense, credibility and credulity. Fr. Lombardi said: “This report is a new step in the long and arduous walk to find the truth. This is a journey the Holy See does not feel apart from." The problem is that the Roman Catholic Church, particularly those in the Vatican, have ALWAYS known the truth, but they've be so arrogant that they've never thought members of the Laity, their dumb, little sheep, would ever be smart enough to figure it out! Now what is the Vatican going to do? Threaten to excommunicate us all? Hide and watch......... it just might happen!

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Gearoid4 | Jul 20, 2011, 07:34 PM EDT

There is no explicit instruction in the letter not to report allegations of sexual misconduct to the gardai. To read anything else into it is wide of the mark. I wish that the Vatican was more up front in terms of it's language to indicate what the local church should have done at the time. Although there was no legislation which mandated automatic reporting of suspicions of criminal wrong-doing, the Church should have done this as a natural response to the ongoing abuse crisis. The Vatican was ill-advised to use the explanation that it baulked at mandatory reporting due to the potential for priests found guilty to escape canonical penalties if the secular law conflicted with canon law.

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CER1940 | Jul 20, 2011, 07:31 PM EDT

I think that it is impractical to ever expect the Vatican to ever admit that they have been wrong, or that they have sinned. The RCC is the ultimate in vanity. It is time the leaders of this organization take off their fancy duds and put on sack cloth.

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eiriamach | Jul 20, 2011, 05:06 PM EDT

This response by the Holy See is so devious! Fr. Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, says, "There is nothing in the letter which suggests not respecting the laws of the land.” Yeah, the letter directs the bishops not to carry out their OWN rules, and it says nothing about not respecting Irish laws. The Irish bishops had developed a policy of mandatory reporting of sexual abuse allegations to civil police forces. Then the Vatican, in effect, ordered the bishops not to carry out such a policy. On January 18, 2011, Patrick Roberts wrote for IC "A smoking gun letter reveals Vatican directly ordered pedophiles be protected," about Archbishop Storero's letter of 1997 directing the Irish bishops NOT to follow their own mandatory reporting guidelines on charges of sexual abuse against clergy. After this letter came to light, the Vatican tried to wriggle out of its very uncomfortable position, and there was much debate about what the writer of the letter really meant. This letter by Storero to the Irish bishops is still available on the Internet. See also IC's "Vatican asked Irish bishops not to report clerical abuse to the police," Jan 17, 2011 and "New York Times criticizes Vatican over pedophiles," Jan. 20, 2011. There's little doubt in the mind of any impartial reader that the Vatican threatened retaliation if the Irish bishops followed their own mandatory reporting policy. And the Vatican pointed out no specific conflict with canon law in the bishop's policy, so the bishops had no way to revise it! They were left without a policy, which is no excuse, of course, for not cooperating with law enforcement investigations, but the Vatican's interference must have been demoralizing, frustrating, and as we see now, infuriating to all concerned.

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JudyJones | Jul 20, 2011, 04:38 PM EDT

--Finally a government standing up to the Vatican. --Finally there is hope for victims and for kids. Judy Jones, SNAP Midwest Associate Director, USA, 636-433-2511 snapjudy@gmail.com "Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests"

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lokionline | Jul 20, 2011, 01:33 PM EDT

The nuncio's letter, while not counseling the breaking of any law, makes it clear that the Vatican did not consider the Irish Bishops Conference has the authority in Canon Law to impose their will in this matter within Ireland until given the nod from the Vatican (it was just a study...). It was the questioning of that authority over their own priests and bishops that led to the lax implementation and the ongoing cover-up in Cloyne and which, as Diarmuid Martin implies, is likely continuing in other diocese just waiting to be exposed. It is the ongoing desire of the Vatican to maintain their "authority" and the remnants of their power and influence, which is still disturbingly potent in many parts of society and the world, that is behind this. The church does good work, but that good work could easily continue under local church control. The Vatican and the Papacy has never looked so clearly to be what it is, a remnant of once potent political tool wielded to control the religious desires that arise naturally in populations. If anyone would like to read an entertaining version of how this goes, I would recommend Frank Hertbert' original "Dune" trilogy.

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colkelley | Jul 20, 2011, 09:42 AM EDT

When members of the RC Church recognize that the Church's primary and sole concern is the power and wealth of the Church they will better understand the Papal response.

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mbernice | Jul 20, 2011, 08:41 AM EDT

I understand the anger but having read the infamous letter and what the Irish are saying about it (I am an American), I have to say that the politicians have blown the contents out of proportion. The letter is really straightforward and does indeed say what Fr. Lombardi says it does. To twist it for maximum political gain is also an exploitation of the victims and doesn't perpetuate justice by making it a lie. But the Church made its bed with this and now must live through the consequences.

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