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reporting of such crimes to the designated authority should always be followed.

This collaboration, moreover, not only concerns cases of abuse committed by

clerics, but also those cases which involve religious or lay persons who function

in ecclesiastical structures."

Finally, in Part III (Suggestions for Ordinaries on Procedures), it is stated

that the guidelines "are to make allowance for the legislation of the country

where the Conference is located, in particular regarding what pertains to the

obligation of notifying civil authorities."

8. Specific attention to the situation in Ireland: the Letter of Pope Benedict XVI

to the Catholics of Ireland (2010)

The Holy See does not accept that it was somehow indifferent to the

plight of those who suffered abuse in Ireland, as Mr Kenny implied in his

speech in Dáil Éireann. Besides the above-mentioned legislative initiatives,

aimed at improving norms and procedures, the Holy See has devoted consid-

erable attention to the Irish situation, through such initiatives as the meet-

ings with the Irish Bishops, and in particular with Cardinal Seán Brady and

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, in the aftermath of the Ryan Report and the

Dublin Report, the Letter which His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI addressed

to the Catholics of Ireland on 19 March 2010 and the subsequent Apostolic

Visitation.

The Holy See's position with regard to many of the issues raised in the

Cloyne Report is clearly expressed in the Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, a

document which is nowhere mentioned in the Cloyne Report. Pope Bene-

dict XVI wrote this Letter because he was deeply disturbed at what had

come to light in earlier Reports and he desired to express his closeness to

the Irish people, especially to the victims of the various forms of abuse

documented, and to propose a path of healing, renewal and reparation.

In his Letter the Pope, while acknowledging the grave failures of the past

in dealing with child protection issues, expressed appreciation for the efforts

being made to remedy past mistakes and to ensure that these do not happen

again. Addressing the Bishops directly, he stated: "It cannot be denied that

some of you and your predecessors failed, at times grievously, to apply the long-

established norms of canon law to the crime of child abuse. Serious mistakes were