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01/12/2009
Call To Expel Papal Nuncio Over Abuse Probe
The Papal Nuncio in Ireland has denied 'showing contempt' for the institutions of the State by refusing to respond to requests for information from the Commission of Investigation into the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin.
Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza, the church's highest ranking representative in the Irish State, said in his first public comments since the publication of the Murphy Report last week, that revealed institutional secrecy and failings to prevent clerical abuses, said his actions "cannot be taken as [contempt] because it is not a contempt against the work of the commission, which we respect".
Dr Leanza said he was aware of "anger" among Irish Catholics about the contents of the report, which accused a number of archbishops of "denial, arrogance and cover-up" over clerical child sex abuse within the Dublin Archdiocese.
He added: "Do I understand the reaction of the people? Absolutely. We are really very sorry for what has happened. This should never happen again in the future," he said.
However, his previous reluctance to contribute to the report, and the week-long delay before finally commenting yesterday on the report's findings, have led to calls for the his expulsion.
These were fermented over the weekend, with a Facebook petition gaining more than 1,950 signitures.
The online petition said: "The Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Sexual Abuse in the Dublin ArchDiocese clearly states that the Papal Nuncio, the Diplomatic representative of the Vatican, refused to reply to investigatorPapal Nuncio Denies Contempt For Reports.
"This is not acceptable. The Irish Government has the power to expel diplomats. If we are to take the report's findings seriously, we must expel the Papal Nuncio."
However, today the Department of Foreign Affairs has rejected the calls saying that "creating a diplomatic incident is not the solution".
The Department is believed to be instead considering a number of options including a possible summoning of the nuncio, Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza, to meet Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin, and the conveying of concerns to the Vatican, via Ireland's Ambassador to the Holy See, Noel Fahey.
(DW/BMcC)
Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza, the church's highest ranking representative in the Irish State, said in his first public comments since the publication of the Murphy Report last week, that revealed institutional secrecy and failings to prevent clerical abuses, said his actions "cannot be taken as [contempt] because it is not a contempt against the work of the commission, which we respect".
Dr Leanza said he was aware of "anger" among Irish Catholics about the contents of the report, which accused a number of archbishops of "denial, arrogance and cover-up" over clerical child sex abuse within the Dublin Archdiocese.
He added: "Do I understand the reaction of the people? Absolutely. We are really very sorry for what has happened. This should never happen again in the future," he said.
However, his previous reluctance to contribute to the report, and the week-long delay before finally commenting yesterday on the report's findings, have led to calls for the his expulsion.
These were fermented over the weekend, with a Facebook petition gaining more than 1,950 signitures.
The online petition said: "The Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Sexual Abuse in the Dublin ArchDiocese clearly states that the Papal Nuncio, the Diplomatic representative of the Vatican, refused to reply to investigatorPapal Nuncio Denies Contempt For Reports.
"This is not acceptable. The Irish Government has the power to expel diplomats. If we are to take the report's findings seriously, we must expel the Papal Nuncio."
However, today the Department of Foreign Affairs has rejected the calls saying that "creating a diplomatic incident is not the solution".
The Department is believed to be instead considering a number of options including a possible summoning of the nuncio, Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza, to meet Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin, and the conveying of concerns to the Vatican, via Ireland's Ambassador to the Holy See, Noel Fahey.
(DW/BMcC)
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