Vatican officials ‘stunned’ by Irish decision to close embassy

an ambassador in Dublin will work. the internet and new technologies bring us all closer. have faith.

The Church, and I am a Catholic, has handled its sins about as poorly as they could, from the Pope on down. Swift action should have been taken as the atrocities unfolded. Then some soul searching should have gone on as to why men were entering the priesthood, how they were behaving, and why it was all covered up. I believe Christ used the expression 'a whitened sepulchre."

Well I'm not laughing, etighe! I find nothing at all funny about the assaults of the RCC on women's rights, for example, to the most basic health care. Today's NY Times supports the Obama plan requiring health insurers to cover contraceptives for women against attempts by the US Catholic bishops to kill this coverage. Men can be treated for STDs by any doctor, but women are stigmatized and nearly criminalized for trying to exercise essential moral responsibility for reproduction. The Times notes, "The issue was joined last week at a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing.... At the hearing, Jon O’Brien, the president of Catholics for Choice, testified that 98 percent of sexually active Catholic women in the United States have used a form of contraception banned by the Vatican. [O'Brien] criticized the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for doing the very thing that it wrongly accuses the administration of doing: trying to impede 'the religious freedom of millions of Americans' by 'taking reproductive health care options away from everybody.' The administration’s policy on birth control coverage follows the recommendation of the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine, which studied the medical facts, including high rates of unintended pregnancy and abortion largely caused by lack of access to birth control. President Obama should stand by the policy." To have to fight for such basic health coverage in the 21st century as though we were living in the Dark Ages is certainly not "comical." It's something to howl about until the RCC bishops learn to keep their SS boots off women's necks and their lecherous hands off the children.

I find this piece to be comical given the anti-Catholic slant to this online publication. Everything negative, however small is given top priority at Irish Central. The hatred for the Church is very apparent. If it wasn't the sex abuse scandal, the anti Catholic bigots would have found some other fault to blame the Church for their lot in life. The Church isn't perfect and it never claimed to be. And I know that they'll never be as perfect as those that beat up on the Church.

@Gearoid4, JOHNTOBIN et al - I think all posters with any shred of humanity and decency will agree that the wilful abuse of a weak and vulnerable person, by another who for whatever reason is more empowered is wrong, in any circumstance. If there are people with strident anti-catholic views who seek to articulate those views by posting on this (and other) site(s), then surely they are just as entitled to do so as you are entitled to post rebuttals, based on your own views, beliefs and opinions. I would however take issue with your at times "indecent" haste to "tar so many with one brush" I am a Catholic, practicing in the faith,but it is fair to say that I am deeply disturbed by the many revalations that have come to light about the stewardship of our church, here in Ireland where I reside, and elsewhere in the world. And my posts reflect this. I like to think that my thoughts and views are both rational, and considered, based upon not the media hype surrounding these events, but upon my own prayerful daily reflection. One poster elswhere even accused me of being "pro abortion" on the basis that my views appeared to place me in a "liberal" wing in some way. I am not a liberal,trying to up-end the church. I am however content to reserve the right to disagree with the evolving dogma that my church espouses; the new revised liturgy of the mass is one example. I can "acknowledge" one baptism but I cannot "confess" on baptism for the forgiveness of sin. Similarly, I do not "dare" to say the Lord's Prayer, but rather I continue to say it at the lord's invitation to participate in the mystery of the Eucharist. So, express your views by all means, but please accept the fact that there are many like myself who are not content to view the liturgical world through your eyes, due to revalations that have prompted many the world over to review the tenets of their faith!!

Well said JohnTobin & Gearoid4

it should have happened 40 years ago it makes me sick to think of what they did to me @ other people

At last we are starting to see some balance in the comments made by writers regarding the actions of certain clergy and others in the Catholic Church.A pleasant change from the anti-catholic mass hysteria being drummed up by some writers and journalists.Where on earth do some people get their so called facts and figures from?In many cases the sex abuse scandal-which I admit is a dreadful business in which the perpetrators will pay for either in this life or the next-is very much an excuse to give vent to their anti-catholic feelings.

@Stan the man, The extent of sex abuse within Catholic priestly ranks statistically is no more prevalent than among the pastors, imams and rabbis of other Faith Groups. Your ridiculous description "of the endless, hidden molestation of children" with Catholicism betrays the distorted mindset that you have regarding this religion. The Concordat of 1933 was an ill-advised but well-meaning treaty that the Church signed with the nazis. It was mean't to protect the local Catholic interests and occurred before the full extent of the anti-Jewish ideology of nazism became apparent. hitler has long since detached himself from the Catholic Faith of his boyhood when he became German chancellor in 1933 and had effectively ex-communicated by his rancid racist and genocidal policies. His influences were chiefly the pagan,nationalist philosophies based on pseudoscience which were prevalent in Germany since the 19th century. You give grossly exaggerated totals for the number of deaths which you attribute to the crusaders during the period of the 1095-1272. Most historians gave figures which do not exceed 5-6 millions for all deaths(committed by all sides, which are still a terrible indictment of the nature of atrocities which accompany all wars. All major religions at one time or another have been effected by zealous adherents committing terrible deeds in their respective names. The number of deaths for the different crusades pales into comparison with the totals of many tens of millions blamed on modern despots like Stalin or Chairman Mao. At least the late, great Blessed pope, John Paul 11 in 2000 apologized profusely on behalf of the Church for the sometimes atrocious sins committed by some of Her members in history. When can we expect this from other Faith groups?

Cheers to the Irish Govt. the beginning of the end of vatican influence in Ireland. the church of the endless hidden molestation of children the church which signed a concordant with hitler, legitimizing the nazi regime in the eyes of catholics. the church which hated Jews due to the crucifiction. which led to endless pogroms against the Jews in the middle ages the church which also created the foundation of hatred of jews which hitler leveraged to power. And murdered 6 million jews, 100,000 gays, and about 5 million others. the church which has yet , dead or alive, to EXcommunicate hitler, and hence whose life campaign is nothing but a smokescreen. the catholic crusades against the muslims of North africa and the mid east. 10s of millions were murdered. Societies have long memories, and 9-11 was a payback from anthoer group of crazies etc etc. The church of the holy inquisition - when the church power was challenged, its result was torture and burning at the stake for hundreds fo years, May the hierarchy of the church burn for eternity. God knows how many hundreds of millions have died for the vatican.

ObrianMcginty – what you call “drivel” are facts given by the Vatican’s Chief Investigator of serious crimes by priests throughout the world. Mons Charles J. Scicluna is also the Vatican’s Chief Prosecutor of these criminal priests. >> My sons have been through Catholic schools in Ireland, I have been through CBS schools in Ireland and over all those years I never once saw or heard of any incident of abuse by brothers or priests. >> I never mentioned our bond with the Jews or Islam in my posts below so why bring them up at all but for what it’s worth to you, I have consistently pointed to the evil of Islam on the pages of IrishCentral and agree with you fully in what you say on that subject.

To all those below portraying the Catholic Church as being full of child abusing priests or “lecherous buggers”, I’d like to point out a few things: There are over 1.2 billion Catholics in the world; there are some 410,000 priests serving them; there are some 3000 priests under investigation by the Church for sexual wrongs, of which 900 are for heterosexual acts (of any age), 1800 for sexual acts to adolescents chiefly of the same sex, and the remaining 300 are for paedophilia i.e. sexual acts against children. 2,400 of the 3000 are USA priests. These facts do not show the church to be full of child abusers. However, we are all agreed that it is 3000 too many in the Catholic Church and we are sick to death that it happens. Can we now look at the remaining 407,000 priests who do not engage in such acts but who still go about Christ’s mission with full dignity yet under the slurs of those screaming “child abusers” at them? That would be stunning news but the media do not want this goodness to be known of.

Best thing the vatican could do to help feed the starving billions would be to get off their high horse and mind their own business regarding family planning, womens reproductive rights and condom use before the starving billions figure doubles again in another 30 years. WOW !!! ........... Ireland takes the pallium in 1151. Closes Vatican Embassy 2011. I'd call that 860 years of the patience of Job! We were christians for a millenia before them and likely will be for millenia hence.

To all those people claiming that the Catholic Church or any other Christian Church for that matter do literally nothing to help the poor of the world,I would like to point out just this.Caritas International,the international welfare arm of the Catholic Church is the largest private distributor of aid and assistance to the poor throughout the world.

It sounds like much ado about nothing if there is still representative presence there.