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Top commentator claims massive lack of Vatican cooperation in Ireland

Irish Times religious commentator Patsy McGarry looks at who's to blame for breakdown of communication


Irish religious commentator looks at how communication between Church and state broke down.
Irish religious commentator looks at how communication between Church and state broke down.
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Ireland’s leading religious commentator, Patsy McGarry of the Irish Times, who broke many stories about the child sex abuse scandals, has weighed in on who is to blame for the breakdown between church and state.

In an opinion article written for The Irish Times, McGarry sheds light on the blatant lack of cooperation from the Vatican in relation to matters of the Irish Catholic Church.

McGarry bluntly writes, “The central issue over Ireland and the Vatican has been Rome’s lack of co-operation with two inquiries set up by this State to investigate criminality – the systematic enabling and cover-up by Catholic Church authorities of the rape of Irish children over decades.”

McGarry recounts how prior to becoming pope,  Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger contacted every Catholic bishop in the world in 2001 urging them to send forward any documentation  “with a semblance of truth” of alleged abuse within the Church.

In response, the Murphy commission, which investigated abuse in Dublin, wrote to the congregation in September 2006 seeking co-operation. It got none. This was only the first failed attempt at cooperation; more were to follow.

McGarry writes how rather than cooperate, the Vatican “complained to Dublin that the commission had not used proper channels, ie it had not gone through the Department of Foreign Affairs. As should have been known in Rome the Murphy commission could not use the Irish State’s “proper channels” as it was also investigating this State’s handling of allegations.”

“So, in February 2007 the commission wrote to the papal nuncio in Dublin asking for relevant documents. There was no reply. In early 2009 it again wrote to the nuncio, enclosing a draft of its report for comment. There was no reply.”

In summation, McGarry concludes “That was how the Holy See treated two inquiries set up by our government to investigate the gravest of abuses of thousands of Irish children by priests. It ignored them. This had nothing to do with Catholicism but centrally involved inter-state relations. Because of it, and whatever may happen in the future, the decision to close the Irish embassy to the Holy See was appropriate and proportionate, regardless of the costs argument.”

“It is time common sense entered this row.”

​
See more: Sexual Abuse , Irish Catholic Church , Vatican , News from Ireland


11 Comments

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"We serve neither King nor Kaiser - but Ireland!" James Connolly, 1916. 'We serve neither Queen nor Pontiff - but Ireland!' IrelandNorth, 2012. "Leave Ireland to the Irish not for London or for Rome." John Lennon, 1972.
@Nicoletta - Oh no, far from it. I believe that "the truth will set us free"!! You cannot hide from the truth, nor should you even try
suffer the little children to come to me,they certainly believe in that parable.i cant understand why anyone can defend their position.they are unbelievable.bloody disgusting leadership.
More anti-Catholic bigotry from the Irish Central.
Well now, boyos, catch up on your history: this is how the Vatican has responded to criticism for centuries by either ignoring it, denying it or, in times past, by branding its critics as heretics and having them burned alive.
The Vatican has a lot to answer for,in regard to the abuse of the children of their flock,world wide.
There is plenty of blame to go around, but the Irish government has never taken reasonability for anything other than the Celtic tiger. Now the tiger died and Brushless is pulling the strings. It’s time that the government stepped up and took charge and accepted blame for many of our problems, the Catholic Church is not the enemy. By the way the commissions are usually just so much bull and a waste of taxpayer money.
Who knew!
paving the way for their anglican pope 'er royal 'ighness
There is absolutely nothing new in what is being said. And, one can blame the Vatican all it wants to but from over on this side of the Atlantic, it does appear that the Murphy Commission was told how to get info from the Vatican but decided not to follow through. The former Prime Minister is on record as saying the Vatican told people how to get info. So, which side is right in its protests of procedure? Neither - what's the agenda now?
Well said Patsy. This is all the Church's fault. Thankfully the media is hiding nothing from the public. This is as it should be. There has been underhandedness for centuries and now the thruth is out in the open and they are still not dealing with it. The Vatican is blind to any but their own self! Some Christian attitude that is. They deserve all they get.
 


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