Vatican summons Ireland’s apostolic nuncio for consultation on Cloyne report

(July 25, 2011) The Holy See has called its representative in Ireland to the Vatican for consultation, after a recent report of child sexual abuse scandal in the Irish Diocese of Cloyne reportedly accused the Vatican of downplaying Irish child protection guidelines. In a brief statement the Holy See’s office said that Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland, Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza has been summoned to the Vatican to discuss the issue. The move follows last week's unprecedented rebuke of the Holy See by the Irish parliament in the wake of the so-called Cloyne Report which accused Irish clerics of concealing from the authorities the sexual abuse of children by priests as recently as 2009 saying the Vatican downplayed Irish child protection guidelines in a letter to Irish Bishops. Holy See’s spokesman Father Federico Lombardi denied last week that the letter was an invitation to disregard Irish laws. In an unofficial statement on Thursday, he said the Vatican would respond to the accusation at an "opportune" time and place. He hoped the debate in the Irish parliament would develop with the needed objectivity in order to help the cause that should be very much at the heart of everyone -namely the safeguarding of children and young people and the restoration of trust and collaboration in the Church and in society.