The growing rift between the Irish government and the Vatican was underlined by a call this week to cut diplomatic representation to Rome and withdrawing a ceremonial title from the papal nuncio.
Such actions would send an unmistakable signal to the Vatican that Ireland is appalled by its refusal to protect children, according to a former ministerial adviser.
Jerry O’Connor, a former special adviser to the Department of Foreign Affairs, told the Irish Examiner this week he would suggest withdrawing the ceremonial title 'Dean of the Diplomatic Corps,' a title automatically conferred on the papal nuncio.
'Removing the automatic entitlement and placing it on a rotational basis would send an immediate message of Irish anger,' O’Connor told the Examiner.
O’Connor also suggested reducing the number of Irish embassies in Rome to one. Currently there are two, one to Italy and one to the Holy See.
'The argument that Ireland needs a Vatican ‘listening post’ may have been valid at one stage, but in the era of modern media, it is surely now of questionable value,' O’Connor said.
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O'Connor also questioned the Vatican’s attitude towards Ireland at a time when its government has had occasion to meet the papal nuncio twice in 18 months to discuss failures in child protection.
'To make such a protest once, as Micheal Martin did when he was minister for foreign affairs in December 2009 is serious enough, but to have to make the point a second time just 18 months later raises the question of whether Irish representations are treated with little more than contempt,' O’Connor said.
The comments come in the wake of the publication of the Cloyne report, which called into question the nature of Irish diplomatic relations with the Holy See.
The report found that the Holy See dismissed the Irish Church’s framework guidelines for child protection as a "study document". This outraged the Irish government and the irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.Maxwells | Jul 21, 2011, 07:51 PM EDT
How silly, it'd be like cutting ties with Muslim countries over terrorism.
seanomelbourne | Jul 20, 2011, 07:10 PM EDT
Child abuse in Australia!! two jewish and some anglican private schools have been tainted by child abuse and of course the obligatory catholic priests.
seanomelbourne | Jul 20, 2011, 07:07 PM EDT
seamasmor may now wish to blame the abused children. There is a new scandal re child abuse in Germany about to break.maybe Gearoid4 would like to revisit the last few line of his statement.
Gearoid4 | Jul 20, 2011, 04:58 PM EDT
All of this breast-beating and the threats regarding expulsions etc will not solve the problem. The Vatican is only too aware of the outpouring of righteous anger that has greeted the inept responses of Irish bishops to the proven and suspected criminal wrong-doings of their priests. Fr Vincent Twomey proposed a clearing-out of those bishops tainted by this horrible scandal and their replacement by younger, fresher candidates. This should not preclude the prospect of those same bishops facing judicial probes and suitable punishment in the event of criminal coverups. Pope Benedict is pushing the agenda to remove malefactors from the priesthood across the globe. This includes co-operation with national law agencies to pursue those self-same criminals.
McNamara31 | Jul 20, 2011, 04:39 PM EDT
SeamusMor "Blame the Vatican? Blame yourselves" Garbage! The Vatican created a perfect environment for these predators to abuse children worldwide. From Louisiana in 1985 to Boston in 2002 to Cloyne in 2011 different victims, different predators, same Vatican enabling!
LilPaddy | Jul 20, 2011, 03:10 PM EDT
YES! You may be exactly right SeamusMor? But it was the teaching (brain washing) by The Vatican that gave criminal molesters a place to practice their evil; while noball "prisets" saw all and said nothing!! But then again,JUST WHO COULD THEY TELL??? Which is exactly how it was in Daingean... Ireland should CUT THE VATICAN OFF, and it could only help with the "united Ireland" idea; if The Billy Boys were assured that Home Rule would not mean "Rome Rule"... And Seamus Boy, just how "embarrased" should The Vatican be about it's ties to Canada, The U.S. Mexico, Africa, Chile, The Philippines and on and on anzzzzzzzz... THE TIME TO CUT THE VATICAN LOOSE. IS NOW!!!
barneyjo | Jul 20, 2011, 02:04 PM EDT
Good Man SeamusMor!!! Now shoot yourself in the other foot!!!!!
Nicomax | Jul 20, 2011, 12:33 PM EDT
Easily done, just cut and paste the First Amendment to the US Constitution into the Irish constitution, once it scopes out the section on the Catholic Church being the predominant religion.
cillowen | Jul 20, 2011, 12:11 PM EDT
go back practicing St Patricks form of religion that was in harmony with its then people. nowadays its a mongrel state.
MauiPete | Jul 20, 2011, 10:28 AM EDT
It'll never happen. The Catholic Church has its tentacles wrapped tightly around people of power in Ireland. The rhetoric is designed to placate the masses. In reality everything will go one as always. There are too many people in Ireland (and in power) controlled by the church for anything untoward to happen. Not that the aforementioned masses seem to care - do you remember the last time that middle class Dublin too to the streets in anger about their children been molested by the clergy? Me neither.
colkelley | Jul 20, 2011, 09:46 AM EDT
It's about time that Ireland split from a Church that gave its independence to the English as a political gift. Time to return to the Old Irish religion and Brehon Law when women actually had equal rights and the Irish were feared warriors, not the subject of drunken Leprechaun jokes.
sirpeter | Jul 20, 2011, 08:25 AM EDT
The Billy Boys in Northern Ireland must be in a state of shock.Oh! how they loved saying Ireland is ruled by Rome.Enda is about to Pee in the Holy See. *Grabs Popcorn*