Alleged victims of the priest — known by the pseudonym 'Fr Ronat' — are not expected to receive the full Cloyne Report and its unpublished chapter until shortly before it is formally released by Justice Minister Alan Shatter on Monday.

The High Court yesterday cleared the way for the suspended chapter of the hard-hitting report into the handling of clerical abuse complaints in the Cork diocese to finally be published.

However despite the Vatican's expression of shame and apology to victims of sexual abuse, the Irish Government has not backed away from its earlier harsh criticism of the Holy See.

"Having considered carefully the Cloyne report and the response of the Holy See, the Government of Ireland remains of the view that the content of the confidential letter in 1997 from the then apostolic nuncio, Archbishop [Luciano] Storero, to the Irish bishops, regardless of whether or not it was intended to do so, provided a pretext for some members of the clergy to evade full co-operation with the Irish civil authorities in regard to the abuse of minors. This is a matter of great concern to the Irish Government."

"The Government of Ireland must point out that the comments made by the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) and other political leaders accurately reflect the public anger of the overwhelming majority of Irish people at the failure of the Catholic Church in Ireland and the Holy See to deal adequately with clerical child sexual abuse and those who committed such appalling acts," the statement went on to say.

In welcoming the Vatican's commitment to dialogue and co-operation, Prime Minister, Enda Kenny added he expected the Vatican's fullest co-operation in ensuring children are safe from paedophile priests.

Kenny was adamant, anything but full co-operation from the Vatican with the workings of the Murphy Commission into Clerical child abuse in the Cloyne diocese would constitute unwarranted interference into the operation of the enquiry.

Sources

• Irish Times
• Belfast Telegraph
• RTE Ireland
• Image: The Great One's blog

However, the legislation will not contain any reference to the confession box, an issue which Justice Minister Alan Shatter said yesterday was a "bogus side issue".

Kenny's original remarks have been widely applauded in Ireland but in its response late last week, the Vatican said Kenny's accusations were "unfounded."

"Every organization, either faith or any other, will understand that the law of the land will apply here," Kenny said.

Speaking following the release of the Vatican's communique, Dublin Archbishop, Dr Diarmuid Martin has also taken issue with Kenny.

One of the key points of the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Enda Kenny's intervention was the assertion that "the Holy See attempted to frustrate an enquiry in a sovereign democratic republic as little as three years ago not three decades ago," Martin said.

"There is no evidence presented in the Murphy report to substantiate this, the Holy See could find no evidence and the Department of An Taoiseach's office said that the Taoiseach was not referring to any specific event. This merits explanation."

Kenny however rejects the Vatican's assertion that he made an "unfounded " allegation against it in relation to co-operation with the inquiry.

"I want to see that the church of which I am a member is absolutely above reproach in the issue of this and other areas," Mr Kenny said.

"And for that reason, my claim in the Dail (Parliament) still stands. I made the point that this is a statutory commission of inquiry, and as such nothing less than full co-operation is required, and anything less than full co-operation in my view is unwarranted interference," he said.

Sources

• Irish Times
• CathNews
• The West
• Reuters
• Irish Times
• Image: Irish Times

The media events were Magee's first comments in five weeks on the Murphy Report into the handling of sexual abuse in the Cloyne diocese and in particular Magee's mis-management of the it.

"You don't agree to talk to someone giving the impression that you are being door-stepped. You don't read out a statement or, if you feel you have to, you make sure that someone who knows something about words has a look at it beforehand," Hoban said.

"You don't justify or explain, when the evidence is conclusive and the jury has already gone home."

"You turn up. You tell the truth. You hold up your hands."

"It's not brain surgery. It's just being media savvy."

Hoban said: "The difficult truth at present is that bishops are not believed or trusted. Even if they said the Our Father there would be something wrong with it."

"Old men in black suits conjure up frightening, not reassuring images. Being Catholic is the last great stigma."

He noted that "every bishop is lord in his own diocese and the culture of deference that assures them they are competent in every imaginable subject makes it almost impossible for them to actually accept that in certain instances they are completely out of their depths."

"Part of the difficulty is that they seem not to understand how much the ground has moved under their feet."

Hoban is of the view the Magee interview is a media lesson and simply underlined the problems the Church has.

"There are rules that have emerged from the experience of dealing with difficult issues . . . There are things you do and things you don't do. And the Magee interview was an object lesson in what not to do."

Sources

• Irish Times
• Cork Independent

In a statement the diocese said it has sold property and used its cash reserves but these options are almost exhausted.

"Ultimately the diocese and each parish depend on the generosity of the faithful in the weekly collections and other contributions for the funding of our activities and the meeting of our commitments. We are continually grateful for their generosity and support."

Like the Dublin diocese which last week admitted it was on the brink of financial collapse, the Cloyne diocese says it is in this position because of a downturn in those coming to Mass, a fall-off in donations and the settlements it has reached with victims of sexual abuse.

The Cloyne diocese made the World news when the Murphy Report criticised Bishop John Magee for writing one report for the Vatican and falsely telling the State the diocese was reporting all abuse allegations to civil authorities.

Ireland's Prime Minister Enda Kenny recently slammed the Vatican, calling its handling of the sexual abuse scandal as "elitist" and "narcissistic".

Next month talks begin to discus who compensates the victims, and the Irish Government is wanting the Catholic Church to hand over cash and real estate worth around NZ$2.4 billion, which is a long way short of what the religious organisations have offered.

In 2002, the government agreed to cap the religious orders' contribution at NZ$222 million, however false reporting of sexual abuse cases to state authorities means the government is now looking for a greater contribution from the Church.

Bishop Magee has returned to Ireland but is hiding from the public eye.

Sources

• Independent
• CathNews
• Independent
• Image: NJ News

According to the Irish Independent, Magee visited his retirement property in Mitchelstown, but he is not at the parochial house in the north-Cork town.

The Independent's sources say he is staying with friends.

While the Irish Police have no plans to contact Magee over the Cloyne Report, his return is expected to renew demands for him to answer questions about his mishandling of the clerical child abuse allegations.

Church spokesman Martin Long said he had nothing further to add to earlier comments of Archbishop Dermot Clifford, who is now running the Cork diocese.

Archbishop Clifford comprehensively dealt with the report publication last month and said he understood that Magee was abroad.

At the time, Clifford said it would have been "helpful" had Magee personally faced the media.

Magee the former archbishop of Cloyne and personal secretary to three popes has not informed the diocese of his future plans.

Sources

• Irish Independent
• Breaking News
• Image: Irish Independent

Kenny said after three government reports on clerical abuse and cover-ups rocked one of Europe's most devout societies, the church needs to be "truly and deeply penitent for the horrors it perpetrated, hid and denied."

Next month talks begin to discus who compensates the victims, and the Irish Government is wanting the Catholic Church to hand over cash and real estate around NZ$2.4 billion.

The religious orders have paid or offered around NZ$5.2 million.

"The speech was a seminal moment in that Enda Kenny made clear that the state sees local bishops as the Vatican's foot soldiers, but it's the Vatican that is directing policy and practice," said Tom Inglis, a sociology professor at University College Dublin.

"He's following public opinion, not moulding it, but it takes an adroit politician to know when the timing is right."

"The relationship between the state and the Vatican has never been worse" said David Quinn, a columnist in the Irish Catholic and director of the Dublin-based Iona Institute.

"I struggle to think of a stronger attack by a Western European leader on the church than Enda Kenny's," he said.

According to the Residential Institutions Redress Board, the Irish government has made around 14,000 payouts to victims in residential homes, averaging NZ$109,000 per claim.

A further NZ$272 million has been paid in legal fees.

In 2002, the government agreed to cap the religious orders' contribution at NZ$222 million.

Now, with the bill rising and a budget deficit forecast at 10 percent of gross domestic product this year, ministers are pushing for a 50-50 contribution, amounting to about NZ$1.79 billion.

Sources

• Bloomberg
• SMH
• Image: Aljazeera

Declining numbers of Catholics attending Mass and fewer donations are also significant contributing factors.

The Irish Catholic reports that reserves built up by the diocese have been spent.

A senior administrator for the archdiocese said to make no changes would have serious financial consequences.

Some of the suggested measures include:

• pay cuts for diocesan agencies and parish worker
• reassessment of all central administration positions
• parish-based levies on Catholic families

"Many of the parishes see no possibility in the immediate future of overcoming the debt, so it is certainly no exaggeration to imagine that the diocese might go bankrupt," Deputy Editor of the Irish Catholic, Michael Kelly told UTV.

Payouts over child abuse compensation cases have totalled NZ$23m.

Financial disaster looms Kelly said, 55 cases are still pending and 55 people who allege abuse against Dublin priests still waiting for payouts.

"Well the child abuse payouts have eaten up any reserves that the diocese had or built up over the 20th century.

"One would have to imagine that there must be at least another NZ$10m or NZ$12m on that is going to have to be paid out on that at a time when funds are dwindling."

"A lot of parishioners are very reluctant," said Mr Kelly, "if they feel that their money is going to pay the crimes of others."

Sources

• UTC
• BBC
• Irish Catholic
• Image: YLE Uutiset News

The Phoenix's page three article implied that Martin might have influenced Kenny's recent attack on the Vatican.

In a statement, the Archbishop denied the implications, saying the article had several serious errors of fact that could not go unchecked.

Accusing the magazine of "unsubstantiated conjectures" Archbishop Martin's statement clarifies the following:

• he denies having recent private meetings with Kenny
• states he had only one meeting with Kenny, 7 years ago, shortly after his appointment as Archbishop of Dublin
• has never requested a meeting with Kenny either as Prime Minister or in Opposition

Sources

• The Irish Catholic
• The Dublin Archdiocese
• CathNews NZ Pacific
• Image: Phoenix Magazine

Leanza, recently summoned back to the Vatican for 'consultations' resulting from the "Cloyne Report", is at the centre of the fallout between the Catholic Church and the Irish Prime Minister.

Appointed to Dublin in February 2008, Lenza was due to finish is post in Ireland this summer.

Ireland's "The Journal" reports that a spokesperson for the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs could not confirm when the Holy See had applied for diplomatic credentials, but that the application would be likely to have been in June.

The Apostolic Nunciature of the Czech Republic has been vacant since the end of May, when the incumbent Nuncio was transferred to the nunciature of Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

It had not yet been confirmed when Archbishop Leanza will more to Prague, but it is expected that Leanza will return to Dublin to personally present the Vatican's response to the Cloyne Report.

Sources

• The Journal
• BBC
• The Telegraph
• RTE News Ireland
• Image: NY Daily News

Bruised under unprecedented criticism resulting from the accusation in the Cloyne Report that the Holy See sabotaged efforts by Catholic bishops to report clerical sexual abuse cases to the police, the Vatican made a rare move to recall the Apostolic Nuncio for consultations.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Eamon Gilmore said the Papal Nuncio recall was "a matter for the Holy See."

"The Government is awaiting the response of the Holy See to the recent report into the Catholic Diocese of Cloyne, and it is to be expected that the Vatican would wish to consult in depth with the nuncio on its response," Gilmore said.

A diplomat's recall is often diplomatic speak for showing displeasure with some act of the host state and indicates a cooling in relations.

The Irish Times reports that its source says in this instance it does not appear to be the kind of recall that indicates displeasure.

Diplomatic sources noted the Department of Foreign Affairs was notified in advance by the Apostolic Nunciature that Archbishop Leanza was returning to Rome for consultations.

Prior to the Nuncio's departure for Rome, Gilmore had summoned Archbishop Leanza and demanded an official response from the Vatican. The Vatican has said it will issue one at the "opportune time," but has not done so yet.

A confidential 1997 Vatican letter - originally published by The Associated Press in January - instructed Irish bishops to handle child-abuse cases strictly under terms of canon law. It warned bishops that their 1996 child-protection policy, particularly its emphasis on the need to start reporting all suspected crimes to police, violated canon law.

Sources

• Irish Times
• Seattle Times
• Image: Catholic Herald

In a case heard this month the Church claimed it is not "vicariously liable" for priests' actions.

This is the first time the Church has used the argument in open court and a legal precedent will be established if the ruling favours the Church.

Irish President, Mary McAleese has called on Church leaders to "urgently reflect on how, by coherent and effective action, it can restore public trust and confidence in its stated object of putting children first."

The church's defence has been condemned by lawyers. "I think the Catholic church's attempt to avoid responsibility for the abhorrent actions of one of its priests is nothing short of scandalous," said Richard Scorer of the law firm Pannone, which specialises in abuse cases.

"The Catholic church would be better served by facing up to its responsibilities rather than trying to hide behind spurious employment law arguments."

The ruling is being made as part of a preliminary hearing into a case of a person who claims to have been abused as a 6 year old in a children's home run by nuns, the English province of Our Lady of Charity.

Source

• The Guardian
• Image: Our Lady of Charity

Writing for the Irish Catholic, Quinn compares the fury of the current Irish government with the ardor of the Jacobins, warning that the Vatican is always the main target when zealots grow angry with the Church. Then following up quickly in the Irish Independent, he points out that the government's denunciations of the Vatican are out of date, in light of reforms during the current pontificate.

Paddy Agnew of the Irish Times is not often a defender of Vatican policies, but he too sees the government's criticisms as going too far. "There are many people in the Holy See, starting with Pope Benedict himself and working down to his senior spokesman, Jesuit Fr Federico Lombardi, who most keenly understand the critical nature of the child abuse crisis," he writes. Others may still resist true reform, he concedes, but even Pope Benedict has quoted the thoughts of his favorite Irish prelate, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, in discussing the topic.

From London's Catholic Herald, William Oddie adds the observation that while the government is anxious to condemn the Vatican in the aftermath of the Cloyne report, that report itself finds that Bishop John Magee deliberately misled Vatican officials about his handling of abuse complaints. So the blame rightly falls on the bishop-who has since resigned-rather than the Holy See.

And Kevin Myers, also in the Irish Independent criticizes the irate speech by Taoiseach Enda Kenny, saying that it sounded "like a particularly enraged caller to a phone-in radio programme." Such a speech, shedding heat rather than light, adds little to the public understanding of the problem, Myers argues. Lamenting the opportunistic attacks on Catholic influence in Ireland, he reaches a somber conclusion:

"As an opponent of the political power of the Catholic Church all my adult life, I will just say this. The nuns of Ireland ran our hospitals with greater efficiency than the HSE, and at far less cost. The Celtic Tiger was made possible by a conservative educational system that was largely the creation of the Catholic Church. Tens of thousands of Irish people became priests, brothers and nuns, in the fond and fervent expectation that they would be serving God and the needs of others, not themselves or their own appetites. As the cataclysm of hate, hysteria and humbug washes the Catholic Church out of our lives, it is worth remembering those basic truths."

CWN editor Phil Lawler has contributed his own thoughts on "Why the Irish government attacks the Catholic Church" in an On the News commentary today.

Source

• Catholic Culture
• Image: The Laitytude

There are groups in the Vatican and the hierarchy, who try to undermine and refuse to understand what is being done in terms of child protection.

He called these groups 'a cabal' who refuse to recognise Vatican rules in the area.

Despite words, the Church had not learned the lessons, he said.

Archbishop Martin was impressed with the emotion of the Prime Minister's speech and is very disappointed and angry with what is contained in the Cloyne report.

However he did observe and express disappointment that the Prime Minister had not apologised for the failings of State institutions that were also identified in the Cloyne report.

Former professor of Moral Theology at Maynooth, Fr Vincent Twomey repeated his call for Irish bishops who assumed office before May 2004, when Archbishop Diamund Martin became Archbishop of Dublin to resign.

"If the bishops have any love for the church would they please show it by making a sacrifice and stepping aside," he said.

Sources

• Irish Times
• The Irish Catholic
• Irish Times
• RTE News (Video)

"More than any other issues, it is probably the one that will unite both the liberal and conservative winds of the Church," Fr Tony Flannery said in an email to CNA.

"If even one exception was made to the seal of Confession, then the whole Sacrament would collapse."

Flannery said the Association of Catholic Priests hasn't taken the proposed new law that seriously because it was simply "unworkable."

"When a person confesses in the confessional box, the priest would not normally know who they are, or indeed be able to see them," he explained.

"So how is he to report them?"

It is also "unlikely" that a person involved in sexual abuse would go to confession, Fr. Flannery pointed out.

"In my forty years of priesthood, I don't ever remember someone confessing that they were currently abusing someone," he said.

Flannery suggested reporting this sin could be the 'thin edge of the wedge,' and asked why limit mandatory reporting to just sexual abuse. Why not extend it to the likes of marital infidelity, tax evasion and murder?

He labelled the Prime Minister's response to the serious issues identified in the Cloyne Report as a a little strong and hoped that given time a more reasoned approach might be worked through.

Last week, Irish Prime Minister Edna Kennedy said "the law of the land should not be stopped by a collar or crozier," and Minister of Justice, Alan Shatter warned that there would be "no grey legal areas" and that doctors' privilege would also have to be abandoned.

Shatter made no reference to lawyer-client privilege.

Sources

• Irish Central
• DFW Catholic
• CathNews NZ - Pacific
• Image: Flickr

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, told Vatican Radio July 19 that much of the criticism failed to take into account the efforts of Pope Benedict XVI and other church officials to prevent future cases of child sexual abuse and address past cases with openness and determination.

Father Lombardi said the Vatican was preparing a more detailed response to the Cloyne Report, and that his own comments to Vatican Radio did not constitute an official Vatican reaction.

He said accusations that the Vatican was somehow responsible for what happened in Ireland went well beyond the language of the report itself, which was carefully worded when speaking about responsibility.

The accusations "show no awareness of what the Holy See has, in fact, accomplished over the years to help face this problem effectively," he said.

He pointed to norms on sexually abusive priests that were introduced in 2001 and updated last year. He also cited Pope Benedict's strong statements on clerical sex abuse in Ireland, the pope's meeting with Irish bishops in 2010 and his decision to order an apostolic visitation to Ireland to investigate the situation.

Father Lombardi addressed two particular issues that came out in the Cloyne Report:

— A 1997 letter from the Vatican's Congregation for Clergy to the papal nuncio in Ireland has drawn sharp criticism by some because it indicated Vatican uneasiness about the Irish bishops' 1996 policy document, "Child Sexual Abuse: Framework for a Church Response," and its compatibility with church law.

Father Lombardi said that, as the Irish bishops stated at the time, their document was "far from being the last word on how to address the issues." In that context, he said, the Vatican's critical observations were legitimate and reflected concern that Irish policies and sanctions against abusers would be in vain if they were ultimately found to be in contradiction with church law.

Even if "one can debate the adequacy of Rome's intervention at that time in relation to the gravity of the Irish situation," he said, the Vatican letter should not be interpreted as an effort to hide priestly sex abuse cases.

— On the issue of mandatory reporting of abuse allegations to civil authorities, the Vatican also raised objections. But Father Lombardi noted this did not mean church officials should not respect the laws of Ireland, which at that time did not obligate reporting of such cases. Mandatory reporting was a much-debated issue even in civil society at the time, he said.

Father Lombardi said it was unfair to criticize the church for failing to insist on mandatory reporting in a country that had not deemed it necessary to make it part of civil law.

He said the Cloyne Report constitutes "a new step on the long and difficult path of searching for the truth, of penitence and purification, of healing and renewal of the church in Ireland." He said the Vatican is participating in this process with a sense of solidarity and commitment.

Sources

• Sydney Morning Herald
• Catholic News Service
• Image: Clerical Whispers

Relations between Ireland and the Vatican have cooled recently in response to the revelations that the retired bishop of Cloyne, John Magee, allegedly acting under Vatican orders, failed to report that 19 of his priests were suspected of pedophilia. A "kid-gloves" approach as recently as three years ago which Ireland's prime minister, Edna Kenny labelled as a 'disgrace'.

Admidst calls for the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza's expulsion, the Minister of Justice Alan Shatter said the direct interference by another state in preventing the application in Ireland of child protection guidelines is "unacceptable."

Shatter however has stopped short of saying the Papal Nuncio should be expelled, but told the Nuncio Leanza he expects to respond promptly to questions raised by the enquiry.

In excess of 5,000 people have joined a Facebook calling for the Government to take serious action against the Papal Nuncio, and 72% of respondents to a journal.ie poll have called for the Nuncio to be expelled.

The campaign's Facebook page states: "If we are to take the reports' findings seriously, we must expel the Papal Nuncio Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza.

"We urge you to write to ministers and TDs saying a message must be sent in the clearest of ways. The Papal Nuncio past and present made deliberate decisions to stonewall our country's efforts to find the truth about child sex abuse by the Catholic Church and to prevent its recurrence.

"He did so in his official capacity as the ambassador of a foreign state, the Vatican. The Irish State must now expel the Papal Nuncio."

According to the Irish Central, the Vatican has long refused to sign off of the strict code of conduct put together by the Irish church after the sordid revelations about the past emerged. The key one was to report all suspected pedophiles to police.

Sources

• Irish Central
• Herald
• Irish Central
• Image: Independent.ie