Justice Minster Alan Shatter today rejected claims by Vatican
spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi on the findings of the Cloyne Report.
Father
Lombardi had directly contradicted the findings of the Report and said
it was "somewhat strange to see the Vatican criticised so heavily".
Speaking
on RTE Radio , the Minister said the Cloyne Report was emphatic in
its findings and said Fr Lombardi was being ''disingenuous''.
The
Cloyne Report was critical of a 1997 letter sent by the then Papal Nuncio
to all Irish bishops advising them that their new framework document
on child protection appeared "contrary to canonical discipline".
Claiming
to be speaking in a personal rather than an official capacity, Fr
Lombardi said:
"There is no motive to interpret the letter in the way it
has been, as an attempt to cover up cases of abuse. There is nothing
in the letter which suggests not respecting the laws of the land."
The
400-page Cloyne Report, which investigated how allegations against 19
priests were dealt with between 1996 and 2009, said the Vatican's
response to the church guidelines was entirely unhelpful and gave
comfort and support to those who dissented from the guidelines,
describing it as "wholly unacceptable".
In his interview with Radio Vatican, Fr Lombardi said the church wanted "truth and a clean-up" of its operations in Ireland.
"This
report is a new step in the long and arduous walk to find the truth,"
he said, adding that this was a journey the Holy See did not feel
apart from.
During the interview he also recalled how last year
Pope Benedict had apologised for the pain and suffering of those who
had experienced abuse at the hands of priests in Ireland.