THE Vatican is "very, very concerned about any sort of non-compliance of the Church with civil law," according to one of its archbishops, who travelled to Ireland to ordain a priest last Sunday.Speaking in Dundalk before ordaining Derek Ryan, 30, as a priest with the Redemptorist Order, Archbishop Joseph Tobin also said the Vatican would be "very interested" if any of the recommendations on safeguarding children have not been implemented.
He said the Church has got to take criticism of its handling of child abuse scandals "seriously".
"We have to take that criticism seriously, and I have every reason to believe that the Irish episcopal conference has taken it seriously and I believe religious orders [have] as well.
"I think the safeguarding children and the national commission [national board for safeguarding children] is doing good work.
"People had every reason to be scandalised and hurt because priests, especially, are in a position to do a lot of good and when that is not respected then tremendous harm happens. Where I work there is an old Latin proverb which says ‘corruption of best results in the worst’ and I think that’s what has happened in some areas."
Archbishop Tobin said the report of the Apostolic mission, or investigation, into child abuse in the Church in Ireland, which was ordered by the Pope, will be made public. It is due to be published early next year.
"I would imagine one copy will go to the Bishop’s conference. Whether another goes to the Irish state will be handled by somebody else in the Holy See, but it is not going to be secret. There will be nothing secret about it."
He said the scandals had to be dealt with and it is "like drawing the poison out of the wound: you have got to do that."
The archbishop, who is American-Irish and who was appointed secretary of the Vatican’s Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life by Pope Benedict, said that nobody wants to brush anything under the carpet.
He described as "wonderful" the ordination of deacon Fr Ryan, from Enfield, Co Meath, to the priesthood. Fr Ryan said such a step could be considered "unusual for a young person to take in this day and age", and, "there is no doubt we live in turbulent times in both the church and society," but his decision was "not taken lightly".
"We have to take that criticism seriously, and I have every reason to believe that the Irish episcopal conference has taken it seriously and I believe religious orders [have] as well.
"I think the safeguarding children and the national commission [national board for safeguarding children] is doing good work.
"People had every reason to be scandalised and hurt because priests, especially, are in a position to do a lot of good and when that is not respected then tremendous harm happens. Where I work there is an old Latin proverb which says ‘corruption of best results in the worst’ and I think that’s what has happened in some areas."
Archbishop Tobin said the report of the Apostolic mission, or investigation, into child abuse in the Church in Ireland, which was ordered by the Pope, will be made public. It is due to be published early next year.
"I would imagine one copy will go to the Bishop’s conference. Whether another goes to the Irish state will be handled by somebody else in the Holy See, but it is not going to be secret. There will be nothing secret about it."
He said the scandals had to be dealt with and it is "like drawing the poison out of the wound: you have got to do that."
The archbishop, who is American-Irish and who was appointed secretary of the Vatican’s Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life by Pope Benedict, said that nobody wants to brush anything under the carpet.
He described as "wonderful" the ordination of deacon Fr Ryan, from Enfield, Co Meath, to the priesthood. Fr Ryan said such a step could be considered "unusual for a young person to take in this day and age", and, "there is no doubt we live in turbulent times in both the church and society," but his decision was "not taken lightly".
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