The Vatican today denied that it sought to interfere with Irish civil
law in response to accusations of the ‘downplaying the rape of
children’ led by Taoiseach Enda Kenny.
A
statement said that it has significant reservations about the speech
made by the Taoiseach and said that the accusation that the Holy See
attempted to “frustrate an inquiry in a sovereign democratic republic
is unfounded”.
It had in no way hampered or sought to
interfere with in any inquiry into child sex abuse cases in the
Diocese of Cloyne and it had not sought to interfere with Irish civil
law or impeded the civil authorities in the exercise of its duties,
the statement said.
It pointed out that there was no
evidence cited in the Cloyne Report to support the claim that its
supposed intervention had contributed to the undermining of the child
protection framework and guidelines of the State.
A 20 page response from the Vatican has been received by Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore.
The
Cloyne Report found how the Cork diocese failed to report nine out of
fifteen complaints made against priests between 1996 and 2005.
It
also revealed how the former Bishop John Magee misled a previous
inquiry and gave a false account of how he was handling allegations
The
Taoiseach’s speech in the Dail on July 20 last was recognised at home
and abroad as a historic condemnation of the Vatican for attempting to
cover up the sexual abuse of children.
The uncompromising tone of his address sent shockwaves through the Catholic hierarchy and the Vatican.
Ireland has traditionally had a subservient relationship with the Holy See.
In
an unprecedented departure from previously diplomatic church-State
relations, Mr Kenny directly accused the Catholic hierarchy of
down-playing the rape of children to protect its own power and
reputation.
He highlighted how the recent report into
abuse in the Cloyne diocese highlighted the "dysfunction,
disconnection, elitism . . . the narcissism . . . that dominate the
culture of the Vatican to this day".
He said: "The rape
and torture of children were downplayed or 'managed' to uphold
instead, the primacy of the institution, its power, standing and
'reputation'."
Responding to Mr Kenny's speech, an emotional Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin, later described some of his fellow bishops as being part of a "cabal" who refuse to recognise the rules of the church.
And
he called for the Catholic Church's child abuse watchdog to be given
powers to compel bishops to co-operate with audits into dioceses.
Mr
Kenny’s speech was widely welcomed by victims of clerical abuse, who
have reacted with dismay to Rome's muted denials that clergy were told
not to report abuse claims.
After delivering the
strongest speech in his tenure as Taoiseach -- and possibly his career
-- Mr Kenny spoke passionately about how "the revelations of the
Cloyne Report have brought the Government, Irish Catholics and the
Vatican to an unprecedented juncture".
"Clericalism has
rendered some of Ireland's brightest, most privileged and powerful
men, either unwilling or unable to address the horrors cited in the
Ryan and Murphy reports," he added.
Mr Kenny hit out at
the Vatican's reaction to the harrowing evidence given by victims of
clerical abuse, which he said was "parsed and analysed by a canon
lawyer".
The Taoiseach said he agreed with Dr Martin that the church needed to publish all similar reports as soon as possible.
Speaking
afterwards, Dr Martin appeared to fight back tears as he spoke of how
he was angry, ashamed and appalled by the behaviour of bishops who
shielded abusers from gardai.
"I find myself today
asking ... can I be proud of the church, what I am seeing, I have to
be ashamed of these things and I have to be ashamed because of what is
being done to victims and what has been done to people in the
church," he said.
"Those who felt they were able to play
tricks with norms, they have betrayed those good men and so many
others in the church who are working today and I am angry, ashamed and
appalled by that," he added.
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