...or, at the very least, he had no idea whatsoever of what he was talking about, the Holy See implies. His accusations are "unfounded", "unsubstantiated", "belied" by reality: it is hard to find such sharp words about a head of government in any contemporary public diplomatic text. From the official response of the Holy See to the Government of the Republic of Ireland, released minutes ago:
The Holy See understands and shares the depth of public anger and frustration at the findings of the Cloyne Report, which found expression in the speech made by the Taoiseach, Mr Enda Kenny, in Dáil Éireann on 20 July 2011. However, it has significant reservations about some elements of the speech. In particular, the accusation that the Holy See attempted "to frustrate an Inquiry in a sovereign, democratic republic as little as three years ago, not three decades ago", which Mr Kenny made no attempt to substantiate, is unfounded.
Indeed, when asked, a Government spokesperson clarified that Mr Kenny was not referring to any specific incident. In fact, accusations of interference by the Holy See are belied by the many Reports cited as the basis for such criticisms. ... Indeed, what is impressive about these Reports, and the vast information that they rely upon, is that there is no support for these accusations.
...
Mr Kenny also cited the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to the effect that "Standards of conduct appropriate to civil society or the workings of a democracy cannot be purely and simply applied to the Church" and goes on to state: "I am making it absolutely clear that when it comes to the protection of the children of this State, the standards of conduct which the Church deems appropriate to itself, cannot and will not, be applied to the workings of democracy and civil society in this republic. Not purely, or simply or otherwise."
The quotation in question is taken from the Instruction on the Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian, otherwise known as Donum Veritatis (The Gift of the Truth), published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on 24 May 1990, and signed by the then Prefect and Secretary of the Congregation. It is not a private text of the then Cardinal Ratzinger but an official document of the Congregation. This document is concerned with the theologian’s service to the Church community, a service which can also be of help to society at large, and not with the manner in which the Church should behave within a democratic society nor with issues of child protection, as Mr Kenny’s use of the quotation would seem to imply.
As always, self-righteousness just looks appallingly ridiculous when coming from politicians. Especially if these politicians use as their main source frustrated "progressive" priests.
