A Facebook campaign to expel the Pope’s representative out of Ireland in the wake of the Cloyne report is already a huge success.
Over 5,000 people have joined the online call for the Irish government to take serious action against the Papal Nuncio Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza.
Fine Gael chairman Charlie Flanagan called on the government to take such action in the immediate aftermath of the publication of the report into child abuse in the Cork diocese of Cloyne.
“The Vatican has broken the law in Ireland. If any other country conspired with Irish citizens to break the law here, their ambassador would be expelled,” said deputy Flanagan.
“The same standards should be applied to the Papal Nuncio who is the Vatican’s ambassador to Ireland. He should be expelled.”
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Flanagan’s call has been taken up by the Facebook campaign which condemns the Church’s failure to report child abuse allegations in Cloyne to the civil authorities.
Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny has also labeled the Vatican a disgrace over the failures in Cloyne.
Archbishop Leanza, who met Kenny’s deputy Eamon Gilmore last week, is to bring a copy of the damning Cloyne report to the Holy See.
But Facebook campaigners want him expelled as a punishment for the many failures of the clergy in Cloyne.
The campaign’s Facebook page states: “If we are to take the reports’ findings seriously, we must expel the Papal Nuncio Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza.
“We urge you to write to ministers and TDs saying a message must be sent in the clearest of ways. The Papal Nuncio past and present made deliberate decisions to stonewall our country’s efforts to find the truth about child sex abuse by the Catholic Church and to prevent its recurrence.
“He did so in his official capacity as the ambassador of a foreign state, the Vatican. The Irish State must now expel the Papal Nuncio.”
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.Gearoid4 | Jul 20, 2011, 04:26 PM EDT
I think all of this collective emoting by facebook members as well as the grandstanding denunciations by Irish TDs detract from the issues at hand. At the moment the Irish Republic is facing an economic crisis of enormous proportions and parliamentary swipes at the Vatican are a distraction. Without underestimating the righteous anger that we all feel at the criminal actions of priests and the subsequent cover-ups, the expulsion of the papal nuncio will just be an empty gesture. The real issue at hand is lack of accountability and appreciation of moral responsibility on the part of national hierarchies. Fr Vincent Twomey offered a solution that should have been implemented months or years ago, namely the retirement of bishops presently tainted by this scandal and their replacement by younger, fresher candidates. Then if any of these bishops have violated the law of the land, they should be made amenable to it.
FrJohn2 | Jul 20, 2011, 12:27 PM EDT
Sad and meaningless campaign by Flanagan ~ ironic too as his Dad was happy to use the Catholic Card for votes ~ this campaign is to distract from this Govern,ent's own lies and broken promises like Roscommon Hospital Accident and Emergency closure.
Collette2 | Jul 19, 2011, 01:04 AM EDT
This facebook campaign seems to have taken off successfully, I wonder how well the Vatican's went. The Pope plannned to use the same avenue to reach the youth not that long ago.
CitizenWhy | Jul 18, 2011, 11:19 PM EDT
Ireland owes it to all the abused children of the world to expel the Nuncio and make the Vatican face up to its outrageous subversion of national sovereignty and human decency.
CitizenWhy | Jul 18, 2011, 11:17 PM EDT
The pope says: "I am Christ. I answer only to me!" ... Ireland finally says: "Take a hike. Walk those little red Gucci slippers somewhere else. "
Jamcelt | Jul 18, 2011, 02:37 PM EDT
212 members does not a huge success make.....
Suivness10 | Jul 18, 2011, 12:01 PM EDT
Jesus is also bigger than the Catholic church. And I doubt seriously that He would condone the hiding of child abusers. The toppling of the Mubarak regime began with a Facebook campaign. There's hope for us yet.
howareya | Jul 18, 2011, 12:01 PM EDT
Our Church is not perfect. It is run on earth by man who is imperfect. There was imperfection from the beginning when Peter denied Jesus. However, just as I feel that the U.S. is the greatest county but I don't like the politicians that run it...I won't leave. I will stay with my church and fight for it to do the right thing. There are great evils at the time and in the past in our Church but we need to correct them..and hold those responsible to the fire. This is our Church not theirs!
Trealach | Jul 18, 2011, 10:58 AM EDT
@macbrees - WELL SAID!!! Perhaps on their way out they could also had out a few 'official excommunications' to those in Government. It really is laughable when reading the headlines that there's a "Huge Facebook campaign" and then in the second paragraph it's reduced to a mere 5,000 - but that's Cathal Dervan's church hatred yet again showing through. On the basis then that 5,000 is huge, there is a bigger campaign against it, considering the VAST MAJORITY of Irish people haven't joined 'the campaign'. Get over it Dervan, the church is here to stay and neither you, the Gays, nor the Government will ever remove it - Jesus is bigger than those morons.
mcbreen | Jul 18, 2011, 09:51 AM EDT
If I was the head of the Church in Ireland I would do two things: I would pack up everything lock stock and barrel and leave the country, but first I would send the Irish government a bill for hundreds of years of free labor in hospitals, orphanages, schools etc. The Catholic Church kept the Irish people from total destruction for centuries, to now becoming the victim of millions of pounds of lawsuits filed by self-loathing gay men, who have traded the dependency of religion for cold cash.
colkelley | Jul 18, 2011, 09:27 AM EDT
Those of you who ever thought that the Catholic Church was anything more than a collection of people who thought themselves above other human beings and above the law are learning a lesson. They believe they answer to themselves...not God and not civil law. Wait until they start selling plenary indulgences to fund the lawyers and lawsuits...just like in the Middle Ages you will be able to obtain forgiveness for all sins - past, present, AND future - for a donation to protect the Church.
Collette2 | Jul 18, 2011, 04:27 AM EDT
I still think this is pretty harsh, he's carrying the burden for predecessors who would have had full knowledge of what was going on. I guess my sense of justice doesn't sit right when dealing with so many crooks. Others have moved on to other law abiding countries with clean slates receiving all due respect.
McNamara31 | Jul 17, 2011, 08:36 PM EDT
Enough is enough. I respect Prime Minister Enda Kenny actions.
CER1940 | Jul 17, 2011, 03:24 PM EDT
The Papal Nuncio of any and all countries where the RCC is found to be actively trying to subvert the legal laws of the land should be expelled and banned from other law abiding countries. These B@#$%@#$ have gone from thinking they represent god to thinking they are god. They are full of satan.
glengesh | Jul 17, 2011, 03:18 PM EDT
We are utterly tired and sickened by the devious cunning way the Vatican and its ambassador have time and again lied to us and undermined the integrity of our country. We simply do not want the Vatican operating in ireland as if it were a colony and the pope an emporer .Our children are not commodities for the sexual gratification of men who see themselves as entiteled to the acess and violation of tender young lives . We have seen "Ryan" and "Murphy" and "Ferns" and now "Cloyne". We will take no more of this murdering of the souls of young people. Begone out of our fair land and take Satan with you .
Intercessor | Jul 17, 2011, 11:53 AM EDT
Maybe Ireland will be a role model for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and hopefully a Facebook campaign will be organized to boot Cardinal Rigali for knowingly allowing Pedophile Priest to continue in the ministry. In retrospect, why stop at Philly (question mark stuck). The Papal Nuncio to the USA should also be expelled. When the Priest Pedophilia Crisis in Boston first opened, the Papal Nuncio of the USA openly suggested that all files of suspected priests be sent to him, because he had diplomatic immunity! Enough of the "Diplomatic Immunity," anywhere on the planet! Maybe it's time to introduce two other words to the Priest Pedophilia Scandal, "World Court!"
barneyjo | Jul 17, 2011, 11:31 AM EDT
Expulsion of the Papal Nuncio has to be on the table, if for no other reason than to get the "full" attention of the collective decision makers within the Vatican.!!Whether by accident or design, Ireland has been placed in a position whereby it can send a very strong signal to the Holy See that its position on this issue up to now has been totally unacceptable, and therefore has to change.