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	Letter Proves Vatican Put Secrecy before Children’s Safety Voice of the Faithful January 21, 2011 http://votf.org/vineyard/Jan21_2011/index.html A newly public 1997 Vatican letter documents Vatican intervention in local church affairs to prevent mandatory reporting of abuse cases to civil authorities in guidelines the bishops drafted. The document surfaced as part of an Irish public television documentary that aired Jan. 17. In responding to guidelines developed in 1996 by Ireland’s bishops, the letter’s author stated that “the situation of ‘mandatory reporting’ gives rise to serious reservations of both a moral and a canonical nature.” The letter is signed by the Vatican’s then-representative in Ireland, Archbishop Luciano Storero, and orders the Irish bishops to see that the procedures established by the Code of Canon Law are “meticulously followed.” This letter, in effect, directs the Irish bishops not to report clergy sexual abuse to civil authorities, but to dispose of sexual abuse cases in secret proceedings inside the Catholic Church. Vatican II was the only ecumenical council ever to use electricity. Or telephones. We may forget—or perhaps never appreciated—how vastly separated from the “modern world” were the Councils of the past. It’s no wonder Pope John XXIII saw a need to renew the Church. As we advance towards the 50th anniversary of the first session of the second Vatican Council, we will bring you reminders of its significance. Check future issues of In the Vineyard for additional notes and for news about upcoming projects.
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