The Report by the Irish Commission of Inquiry into cases of child
abuse committed by clergy in the diocese of Cloyne, published July 13,
as with the previous report on the Archdiocese of Dublin, has once again
highlighted the gravity of the facts which have occurred, this time in a
rather recent period. In fact, the period covered by the new report
goes from 1.1.1996 to 1.2.2009.
The Irish authorities have
forwarded a copy of the Report to Rome by way of the Nuncio, requesting
a response from the Holy See. It is to be expected, therefore, that the
Holy See’s response and considerations will be forthcoming in the most
appropriate time and manner.
For my part, however, I
believe it opportune to say a few words on the Report and how it has
been received, while underlining - as I have already mentioned – that
these considerations do not in any way constitute an official response
from the Holy See.
First, it seems only right to recall
and renew the intense feelings of grief and condemnation expressed by
the Pope during his meeting with the Irish bishops, summoned to the
Vatican on December 11, 2009, precisely to deal with the difficult
situation of the Church in Ireland in light of the Report into the
Archdiocese of Dublin, then recently published. At the time, the Pope
openly spoke of his "shock and shame" at the "heinous crimes" committed.
We
must also remember that following this meeting, and a subsequent one
from February 15 to 16, 2010, the Pope published his well-known and
wide-ranging letter to the Catholics of Ireland, the following 19 March,
which contains the strongest and most eloquent expressions of his
participation in the suffering of victims and their families, as well as
a reminder of the terrible responsibility of the guilty and the
failures of church leaders in their tasks of government or supervision.
One
of the concrete actions that followed the Pope's letter was the
Apostolic Visitation of the Church in Ireland, divided into the four
visitations of the archdiocese, the seminaries and religious
congregations. The results of the visitation are at an advanced stage
of study and evaluation.
Therefore it is only right to
recognise the Holy See’s decisive commitment in encouraging and
effectively supporting the efforts of the Church in Ireland towards the
"healing and renewal" necessary to definitively overcome the crisis
linked to the dramatic wound of the sexual abuse of minors.
It
is also important to recognize the efforts made by the Holy See in the
normative field, with the clarification and the revision of the
canonical norms concerning the issue of sexual abuse of minors. A
milestone in this regard - as noted – was the 2001 Motu proprio, which
unified all competencies under the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith, and subsequent updates until the promulgation of the reformulated
norms in July 2010.
As for the more distant past, in
recent days a Letter dated 1997, 14 years ago, has had particular
resonance. Mentioned in the new Report, but already published last
January, it is a letter addressed by the then Nuncio in Ireland to the
Bishops Conference, which emphasises that, according to information
received from the Congregation for the Clergy, the document "Child
Sexual Abuse: Framework for a Church Response" lent itself to
objections, because it contained aspects that were problematic from the
point of view of compatibility with universal canon law.
It is only fair
to remember that this document was not sent to the Congregation as an
official document of the Bishops Conference, but as a "Report of the
Irish Catholic Bishops' Advisory Committee on Child Sexual Abuse by
Priests and Religious," and that its foreword stated: " This document is
far from being the last word on how to address the issues that have
been raised".
The fact that the Congregation raised objections was
therefore understandable and legitimate, taking into account Rome’s
competence with regard to the laws of the Church, and - although one can
argue about the adequacy of Rome’s intervention in relation to the
seriousness of the situation in Ireland at the time - there is no reason
to interpret that letter as being intended to cover up cases of abuse.
In fact, it warned against the risk that measures were being taken which
could later turn out to be questionable or invalid from the canonical
point of view, thus defeating the purpose of the effective sanctions
proposed by the Irish bishops.
Moreover, there is
absolutely nothing in the letter that is an invitation to disregard the
laws of the country. During the same period, Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos,
then Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, in a meeting with the
Irish Bishops stated: "The Church, especially through its Pastors,
should not in any way put an obstacle in the legitimate path of civil
justice...while, at the same time she should move forward with her own
canonical procedures."(Rosses Point, Sligo, 11/12/1998). The objection
the letter referred to regarded the obligation to provide information to
civil authorities ("mandatory reporting"), it did not object to any
civil law to that effect, because it did not exist in Ireland at that
time (and proposals to introduce it were subject to discussion for
various reasons in the same civil sphere).
Therefore, the
severity of certain criticisms of the Vatican are curious, as if the
Holy See was guilty of not having given merit under canon law to norms
which a State did not consider necessary to give value under civil law.
In attributing grave responsibility to the Holy See for what happened in
Ireland, such accusations seem to go far beyond what is suggested in
the Report itself (which uses a more balanced tone in the attribution of
responsibility) and demonstrate little awareness of what the Holy See
has actually done over the years to help effectively address the
problem.
In conclusion, as stated by several Irish
bishops, the publication of the Report on the Diocese of Cloyne marks a
new stage on the long and arduous journey in search of truth, penance
and purification, of healing and renewal of the Church in Ireland, from
which the Holy See does not in any way feel extraneous, but in which it
participates in solidarity and with commitment in the various forms that
we have outlined here.
Notes to Editors:
- Fr Federico Lombardi SJ is the Director of the Holy See Press Office
- This statement was issued by Fr Lombardi in Italian on the 19 July 2011
Further information:
Catholic Communications Office Maynooth: Brenda Drumm 00353 (0) 87 310 4444