(F. Lombardi 19/07/2011) 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.