Taoiseach Brian Cowen today defended the Vatican’s failure to respond to correspondence from the Commission of Investigation into the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin.
Speaking in the Dáil this afternoon, Mr Cowen said the Vatican acted “in good faith” and within agreed diplomatic protocols.
In September 2006, the commission wrote to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith seeking information on reports of clerical child sex abuse sent to it by the Dublin archdiocese over a 30-year period. It also sought information on the document Crimen Solicitationis, which deals with clerical sex abuse.
The congregation did not reply.
Instead, it contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs stating that the commission had not gone through appropriate diplomatic channels. As a body independent of government, the commission said it did not consider it appropriate to use diplomatic channels.
In February 2007, the commission wrote to the papal nuncio in Dublin asking that he forward all documents relevant to it and which had not been or were not produced by the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin. It also requested that he confirm if he had no such documents. The papal nuncio did not reply.
Earlier this year the commission again wrote to the papal nuncio enclosing extracts from its draft report which referred to him and his office, as it was required to do. Again, there was no reply.
Mr Cowen today described as “a matter of regret” that the Holy See didn’t give a substantive response but said the Vatican made sure the note was passed on to the commission because they didn’t want officials to feel they were ignoring the request.
“My belief is that the commission and the Holy See appears to have acted in good faith in this matter even if the best outcome was not achieved,” he said.
“It is of course regrettable that the failure to acknowledge either letter has given rise to the impression that the Holy See was refusing to co-operate with the commission,” he said.
“The approach by the Holy See was consistent with international law, according to which dealings between states should be conducted via the diplomatic channel unless other arrangements are made by mutual consent.”
Commission chairperson Judge Murphy had insisted her inquiry was independent of the Government and so was not party to the diplomatic channels.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said it was discourteous that the Vatican did not respond.