THE Vatican has been "stung" by Taoiseach Enda Kenny's unprecedented condemnation of the Holy See over its attempts to cover up sexual abuse in the diocese of Cloyne.
Well-placed
sources in Rome revealed last night that senior prelates in the Roman
Curia were working on a "considered response" to the Cloyne Report, as
demanded by the Government.
"But clearly they have been stung by Taoiseach Enda Kenny's unprecedented cogent criticisms on Wednesday that they were steeped in a climate of 'narcissism'," one source told the Irish Independent.
The
Vatican's retreat into silence came after the Pope's spokesman, Fr
Federico Lombardi, inflamed the row on Tuesday when he said it was his
personal opinion that there was nothing in the advice given by the papal
nuncio in 1997 that would encourage bishops to break Irish laws.
Rome came under further fire throughout yesterday as more politicians, senior church figures in Ireland and survivors' groups came out in support of Mr Kenny's hardline stance.
Fine Gael Senator Martin Conway has called on the entire hierarchy of the Catholic Church to resign.
He
also said Taoiseach Enda Kenny's speech had shown that he was "plugged
in to the pulse of the people" and that he understood the absolute
horror at what had happened in the Diocese of Cloyne.
Further
criticism was directed at the Holy See when Carlow-based cleric Fr PJ
Madden, a prominent member of the Association of Catholic priests, spoke
out in favour of "an impressive" Mr Kenny.
"The Vatican should back off and let us solve the problems as an independent people," Fr Madden added.
Meanwhile, the influential Catholic journalist and author, Robert Blair Kaiser, also applauded Mr Kenny.
"It is about time that some Irish leaders challenged the pretensions of the Vatican," Mr Kaiser told this newspaper.
American
Survivors of Abuse said no high-ranking government official anywhere in
the world had denounced atrocities committed by church officials as
Enda Kenny has.
Speaking from Chicago, Barbara Blane commended Mr
Kenny for being "the first government leader to demand accountability,
not only from his nation's bishops but from the Vatican".
Survivors' support group One in Four said it had received an overwhelmingly positive response to Mr Kenny's speech.
"I
think people feel that at last the Irish Government is taking charge
and beginning to lay down markers as to what is acceptable in this State
regarding the safety of children," director Maeve Lewis said.
Abuse
survivor and author Andrew Madden, who watched Mr Kenny's speech from
the Dail's public gallery, said he was very impressed.
He said:
"It's a very welcome change from the inappropriate deferential stuff
we've had from his two predecessors and I think what Enda Kenny said is
much more in keeping with public anger and disgust."
A high-profile retired Irish bishop last night also said Mr Kenny's "severe" criticism was justified.
Bishop
Willie Walsh, who stood down last year as head of the Killaloe diocese,
said he recalled that all the Irish bishops had agreed to implement the
1996 child-protection guidelines, despite not receiving the Vatican's
approval.
"In our discussions at Maynooth I never heard Bishop John
Magee or any bishop saying they did not need to apply them because they
did not have Vatican approval."
Bishop Walsh welcomed the Government's plans to make obligatory reporting of suspected child clerical abuse.
"Bishops and priests should have no special treatment in law," he said.
Damaging
Meanwhile, a senior bishop admitted that people's trust in the church had been broken.
Bishop
of Killaloe Kieran O'Reilly, who hails from Cobh, the centre of the
Cloyne diocese, admitted he was still in a state of "shock".
"People's
faith has been rocked. Over the last four or five years the church has
had a succession of reports, one more damaging than the other.
"You trusted people to do the right thing. The sense of trust has now been broken. It was always a wonderful thing that people did trust priests but now something has snapped," he added.