Formal approval was not sought by Irish bishops on the 1996 guidelines for dealing with the issue
The Irish Bishops' Conference guidelines on dealing with child sex abuse are "preliminary" and, although seen by the Vatican prior to their publication in January, 1996, formal "recognitio" [sanction by Rome] had not been sought for them, a spokeswoman for the bishops said last night.
She said, however, that the Irish hierarchy was "not now and has never been at odds with the Vatican" over their handling of clerical child sex abuse or over the 1996 guidelines.
Formal "recognitio" by the Vatican, however, would be sought for final Irish church guidelines/policy on the issue, currently being prepared by the Lynott Working Group.
The group, set up by the bishops, CORI, and the Irish Missionary Union, held its first meeting in June and is to make final recommendations next spring.
Titled the "Working Group on Child Protection Policy for the Catholic Church in Ireland", its terms of reference are "to develop a comprehensive and integrated child protection policy for the Irish Catholic Church.
"This policy will encompass all church-related activities and personnel (including volunteers) in Ireland, north and south. The policy will be rooted in best practice for the safety and welfare of children, and specific guidance on the management of concerns and allegations regarding child protection. The policy will be consistent with civil law, 'Children First', and relevant statutory procedures.
"It will also be consistent with all relevant church law so as to be normative."
The working group is known to be anxious to have Vatican sanction for their recommendations.
It is chaired by Ms Maureen Lynott, a management consultant and previously chairwoman of the Government body which prepared "Children First - National Guidelines for Protection and Welfare of Children".
It also emerged last night that new interim guidelines - pending the working group's report - on dealing with child sex abuse were sent two weeks ago to every diocese in Ireland by the Bishops' Child Protection Office in Maynooth. These also include the recommendation of the 1996 guidelines that bishops report all serious allegations of child sex abuse to civil authorities.
"The Vatican has been kept fully up to date on all developments in dealing with clerical child sex abuse by the church in Ireland," the bishops' spokeswoman, Ms Brenda Drumm, said last night. There "never has been tension" between the Vatican and the Irish bishops on the issue.
She said the 1996 guidelines were "an urgent response to the issue here in Ireland" at the time. The Vatican had "never indicated disapproval of any aspect of the guidelines and there was no tension or difficulty over them".
In preparing his report on how the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales should address the issue there, Lord Nolan consulted extensively with the Irish bishops on the guidelines before publishing his Programme for Action report in September 2001, she said.