Nick the Pilot
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Irish pol: Vatican in sex-abuse denial - Religious News ArcaMax Publishing
DUBLIN, Ireland (UPI) -- The Vatican is in denial about its role in an alleged culture of priest sexual abuse of minors, an Irish politician said in a new salvo against the Holy See.
An Irish-government report released in July into sex abuse in the Catholic diocese of Cloyne in southeastern Ireland -- which accused the Vatican of encouraging bishops to ignore guidelines requiring them to report abuse cases to civil authorities -- "indicated that there was a continuing failing right up until recently," Enterprise Minister Richard Bruton told Radio and Television of Ireland Sunday night [September 4th]...
...The Vatican said Saturday the report's and Kenny's allegations hinged on a "misinterpretation" of a confidential 1997 Vatican letter to Ireland's bishops that said the Vatican ambassador had "serious reservations" about Irish church child-protection policies, and that they violated canon law.
The letter "effectively gave individual Irish bishops the freedom to ignore the procedures" and "gave comfort and support" to priests who "dissented from the stated Irish church policy," the Cloyne report said...
...Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Eamon Gilmore called the Vatican response an overly "legalistic and technical" justification of its actions in dealing with priests who allegedly raped and molested children.
The 1997 letter "provided a pretext for some to avoid full cooperation with the Irish civil authorities," he said in a statement.
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DUBLIN, Ireland (UPI) -- The Vatican is in denial about its role in an alleged culture of priest sexual abuse of minors, an Irish politician said in a new salvo against the Holy See.
An Irish-government report released in July into sex abuse in the Catholic diocese of Cloyne in southeastern Ireland -- which accused the Vatican of encouraging bishops to ignore guidelines requiring them to report abuse cases to civil authorities -- "indicated that there was a continuing failing right up until recently," Enterprise Minister Richard Bruton told Radio and Television of Ireland Sunday night [September 4th]...
...The Vatican said Saturday the report's and Kenny's allegations hinged on a "misinterpretation" of a confidential 1997 Vatican letter to Ireland's bishops that said the Vatican ambassador had "serious reservations" about Irish church child-protection policies, and that they violated canon law.
The letter "effectively gave individual Irish bishops the freedom to ignore the procedures" and "gave comfort and support" to priests who "dissented from the stated Irish church policy," the Cloyne report said...
...Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Eamon Gilmore called the Vatican response an overly "legalistic and technical" justification of its actions in dealing with priests who allegedly raped and molested children.
The 1997 letter "provided a pretext for some to avoid full cooperation with the Irish civil authorities," he said in a statement.
(cont.)