Firmness and humility

The Holy See acknowledges the gravity of sexual abuses against minors by the clergy, that took place in the Irish diocese of Cloyne, and reiterates its solidarity to the victims and to their families, underlining full cooperation with Irish authorities in combating this heinous crime. But at the same time it decisively rejects all past and present allegations that hold Vatican authorities responsible for covering up inquiries on abuse. These are the main points on which is hinged the long document (some twenty pages) with which the Holy See responded to the Irish government a few days ago, ensuing the publication, in July, of the Cloyne Report, with strong criticism by the Irish executive. The story. It was Prime Minister Enda Kenny who accused the Vatican during a meeting of Ireland’s House of Commons in July. An unprecedented report in the history of the relations between Ireland and the Holy See, accused of privileging the institution to the detriment of the children, dissuading the bishops from reporting cases of abuse to the authorities. The premier had asked for reassurance to the Vatican on the respect of the law on the part of the Catholic Church. On July 25 the Vatican called back to Rome its Apostolic nuncio and on September 2 was consigned the Holy See’s Response to Mr Eamon Gilmore, Deputy Prime Minister (Tánaiste) and Minister for Foreign Affairs. The Holy See’s Response. The Vatican Response begins with a reassurance: “At the outset, the Holy See wishes to state its abhorrence for the crimes of sexual abuse which took place in that Diocese. The Holy See is sorry and ashamed for the terrible sufferings which the victims of abuse and their families have had to endure within the Church of Jesus Christ, a place where this should never happen”. The statement by the Holy See delves into the accusations. The Holy See “understands and shares the depth of public anger and frustration at the findings of the Cloyne Report” but the accusation that the Holy See attempted “to frustrate an Inquiry in a sovereign, democratic republic is unfounded”. In this regard, “the Holy See wishes to make it quite clear that it in no way hampered or interfered in the Inquiry into child sexual abuse cases in the Diocese of Cloyne. Furthermore, at no stage did it seek to interfere with Irish civil law or impede the civil authority in the exercise of its duties”. Thus, while “rejecting unfounded accusations” in “a spirit of humility, the Holy See, welcomes all objective and helpful observations and suggestions to combat with determination the appalling crime of sexual abuse of minors”. And it concludes: “naturally, the Holy See is well aware that the painful situation to which the episodes of abuse have given rise cannot be resolved swiftly or easily, and that although much progress has been made, much remains to be done”. Reactions. Speaking on Vatican Radio Fr Federico Lombardi commented on the Response: “The document in English, about 20 pages long, is clearly structured and seeks to give detailed and documented answers to all the questions raised, inserting them into a broader perspective,” he said. “The text of the document shows how the Holy See has given very serious and respectful consideration to the queries and criticism it has received, and has undertaken to answer them serenely and exhaustively, avoiding polemics even when giving clear answers to the accusations made”. The Holy See hopes that its response “will achieve the fundamental shared goal of contributing to rebuilding a climate of trust and co-operation with the Irish authorities, which is essential for an effective commitment on the part of the Church and society to guarantee the primary goal: protecting children and young people”. Also for the Archbishop of Dublin Msgr. Diarmuid Martin, “The Vatican response to the Irish government is detailed and comprehensive. It is serious, sober in tone and it addresses broader questions of Church policy on child safeguarding. My hope is that it will be understood and received as such and not be an occasion just for added polemics. Polemics really do very little for the protection of children and the support of survivors”. Commenting on the Response, the Archbishop of Dublin addresses the accusations against the Holy See. “Where do we go from here? We are at a crucial moment regarding the future of child safeguarding in Ireland”. This government, concludes Msgr. Martin, “is the first government in Irish history to dedicate a full cabinet ministry to children’s issues. This augurs well for the future. We need that future to be framed within a climate of cooperation on all sides. The time has long since past to talk about child protection issues only in the future tense”.