Vatican told Irish bishops not to report abuse to cops

DUBLIN: A 1997 letter from the Vatican warned Ireland's Catholic bishops not to report all suspected child-abuse cases to police a disclosure that victims' groups described as "the smoking gun" needed to show that the church enforced a worldwide culture of covering up crimes by paedophile priests.

The newly revealed letter, obtained by Irish broadcasters RTE, documents the Vatican's rejection of a 1996 Irish church initiative to begin helping police identify paedophile priests following Ireland's first wave of publicly disclosed lawsuits.

The letter undermines persistent Vatican claims that Rome never instructed bishops to withhold evidence or suspicion of crimes from police. It instead emphasizes the church's right to handle all child-abuse allegations and determine punishments in house rather than give that power to civil authorities.

The Vatican on Wednesday insisted that its response to the Irish bishops was designed to ensure that guilty priests not avoid punishment.

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