A support group for victims of clerical abuse has accused the Vatican of failing to acknowledge its own role in perpetuating the protection of abusive priests at the expense of children.
One in Four said it welcomed the finding of the apostolic visitation team that the Church in Ireland now had good child protection practices in place.
Executive director Maeve Lewis said the organisation also welcomed the recommendation that bishops and religious superiors should devote much time to listening to survivors and attending to their needs.
However, One in Four said it was disappointed the Vatican did not use the opportunity offered by the report to acknowledge that its interventions in the abuse scandal had allowed Church leaders here "to ignore guidelines and to protect the good name of the Church at the expense of the safety of children".
Ms Lewis also pointed out that in the last year her group had noticed what she described as "a hardening of attitude" on the part of religious authorities to the question of compensation for survivors.
"We have had grotesque situations where senior churchmen meet with survivors, assure them of their remorse for what happened while at the same time are instructing their legal teams to file full defences in relation to civil compensations suits.
"This only compounds the pain and hurt of survivors. It brings into question the authenticity of the Church’s repentance."
Rape Crisis Network Ireland said the visitation review was welcome but was not a substitute for accountability to the State’s structures.
Its director, Fiona Neary, said the Church must be compliant with Children First guidelines as well as the law of the land and monitored by the appropriate statutory institutions.
Executive director Maeve Lewis said the organisation also welcomed the recommendation that bishops and religious superiors should devote much time to listening to survivors and attending to their needs.
However, One in Four said it was disappointed the Vatican did not use the opportunity offered by the report to acknowledge that its interventions in the abuse scandal had allowed Church leaders here "to ignore guidelines and to protect the good name of the Church at the expense of the safety of children".
Ms Lewis also pointed out that in the last year her group had noticed what she described as "a hardening of attitude" on the part of religious authorities to the question of compensation for survivors.
"We have had grotesque situations where senior churchmen meet with survivors, assure them of their remorse for what happened while at the same time are instructing their legal teams to file full defences in relation to civil compensations suits.
"This only compounds the pain and hurt of survivors. It brings into question the authenticity of the Church’s repentance."
Rape Crisis Network Ireland said the visitation review was welcome but was not a substitute for accountability to the State’s structures.
Its director, Fiona Neary, said the Church must be compliant with Children First guidelines as well as the law of the land and monitored by the appropriate statutory institutions.