Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, told Vatican Radio July 19 that much of the criticism failed to take into account the efforts of Pope Benedict XVI and other church officials to prevent future cases of child sexual abuse and address past cases with openness and determination.

Father Lombardi said the Vatican was preparing a more detailed response to the Cloyne Report, and that his own comments to Vatican Radio did not constitute an official Vatican reaction.

He said accusations that the Vatican was somehow responsible for what happened in Ireland went well beyond the language of the report itself, which was carefully worded when speaking about responsibility.

The accusations "show no awareness of what the Holy See has, in fact, accomplished over the years to help face this problem effectively," he said.

He pointed to norms on sexually abusive priests that were introduced in 2001 and updated last year. He also cited Pope Benedict's strong statements on clerical sex abuse in Ireland, the pope's meeting with Irish bishops in 2010 and his decision to order an apostolic visitation to Ireland to investigate the situation.

Father Lombardi addressed two particular issues that came out in the Cloyne Report:

— A 1997 letter from the Vatican's Congregation for Clergy to the papal nuncio in Ireland has drawn sharp criticism by some because it indicated Vatican uneasiness about the Irish bishops' 1996 policy document, "Child Sexual Abuse: Framework for a Church Response," and its compatibility with church law.

Father Lombardi said that, as the Irish bishops stated at the time, their document was "far from being the last word on how to address the issues." In that context, he said, the Vatican's critical observations were legitimate and reflected concern that Irish policies and sanctions against abusers would be in vain if they were ultimately found to be in contradiction with church law.

Even if "one can debate the adequacy of Rome's intervention at that time in relation to the gravity of the Irish situation," he said, the Vatican letter should not be interpreted as an effort to hide priestly sex abuse cases.

— On the issue of mandatory reporting of abuse allegations to civil authorities, the Vatican also raised objections. But Father Lombardi noted this did not mean church officials should not respect the laws of Ireland, which at that time did not obligate reporting of such cases. Mandatory reporting was a much-debated issue even in civil society at the time, he said.

Father Lombardi said it was unfair to criticize the church for failing to insist on mandatory reporting in a country that had not deemed it necessary to make it part of civil law.

He said the Cloyne Report constitutes "a new step on the long and difficult path of searching for the truth, of penitence and purification, of healing and renewal of the church in Ireland." He said the Vatican is participating in this process with a sense of solidarity and commitment.

Sources

• Sydney Morning Herald
• Catholic News Service
• Image: Clerical Whispers

The Centre, available in English, German, French, Spanish and Italian, will provide information for victims and guidance to those who are in the position to respond to abuse cases.

"We want people to know that we are serious about this and that we think the Church has to be at the centre of a solution," said Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi.

"This is not a flash in the pan initiative but something we are committed to in the long-term."

"The e-learning centre will work with medical institutions and universities to develop a constant response to the problems of sexual abuse," said Monsignor Klaus Peter Franzl of the archdiocese of Munich.

The Vatican e-learning centre will be called "Toward Healing and Renewal," and will work with medical institutions and top experts on sexual abuse of children by clergy.

The centre is due to go live early in 2012.

Source

• Reuters
• Image: Criminal Records

According to the German weekly paper Wirtschaftswoche, it is expected the green Popemobile would be ready for Benedict's visit to Germany in September.

Vatican Spokesman Federico Lombardi told news agency AFP that the car, which is currently under development, will not be ready before the end of next year.

According to the report, the new Popemobile will be based on the four-wheel drive M Class Mercedes with a hybrid electric-petrol motor.

The rechargeable lithium-ion battery will allow it to drive 30 kilometres (16 miles) without any polluting emissions.

A move towards a hybrid car was first revealed in December when Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo, president of the governorate of Vatican City State, suggested the pontiff was "prepared to use an electric Popemobile," as long as it was efficient and reliable.

The pope would not be allowed to use a purely electric-driven car as the Popemobile must have the capacity to take off swiftly in case of emergency, the paper said.

Source

• Deutche Welle
• Associated Press
• Image: Strange Harvest

The Vatican statement May 2 came the day after President Barack Obama announced that U.S. forces had killed bin Laden in an attack on his hideout in northwest Pakistan. In several U.S. cities, the news prompted street demonstrations and expressions of jubilation.

Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, released a brief written statement reacting to the news.

"Osama bin Laden, as we all know, bore the most serious responsibility for spreading divisions and hatred among populations, causing the deaths of innumerable people, and manipulating religions to this end," Father Lombardi said.

"In the face of a man's death, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibilities of each person before God and before men, and hopes and works so that every event may be the occasion for the further growth of peace and not of hatred," the spokesman said.

The Vatican missionary news agency, Fides, reported that Christian schools and other institutes were closed and churches put on guard in Pakistan's main cities out of fear of possible repercussions on the Christian minorities there. Pakistani Christians are often identified in extremist literature with the West and the United States.

Paul Bhatti, a government adviser for religious minorities in Pakistan, told Fides that "the situation is tense."

"In fact, there are strong fears of reactions — senseless reactions — against the Christian minorities. The government is giving the maximum attention to prevention measures," he said.

Father Mario Rodrigues, director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Pakistan, said after a meeting with government officials May 2: "They put us on alert, requesting the closure of our institutes and making available additional police personnel around the churches. The Christians of Pakistan are innocent victims in this and other situations. Any pretext is used to threaten them or launch an attack."

Rodrigues said some experts predicted that bin Laden's killing would weaken the Taliban and their ideologies, which could help diminish anti-Christian persecution in the long term. But he said radical Islamic groups were flourishing in Pakistan, and other extremist leaders could arise.

What is needed, he said, is a serious policy of interreligious tolerance at every level — cultural, social, political and legislative.

Sources

• Reuters
• Catholic News Service