A Vatican ambassador was confronted Thursday by Irish officials over a damning report that charged local bishops were encouraged to protect pedophile priests from police.
Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza met with Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore one day after the report by Irish investigators said the Vatican encouraged its bishops in 1997 to ignore the local church's tough child-protection rules.
Leanza - the Dublin-based diplomat of Pope Benedict XVI - declined to answer questions after the brief meeting, opting instead to read a short statement.
The papal nuncio, with his head bowed, stressed "the total commitment of the Holy See for its part in taking all the necessary measures to ensure the protection of the children."
Irish victims of sexual predators in the Catholic Church have received $1.4 billion in compensation.
Prime Minister Edna Kenny, who did not attend the meeting, said it was "absolutely disgraceful" that the Vatican had urged bishops to rank church law over criminal law.
"The law of the land should not be stopped by a crozier or a collar," said Kenny, vowing to bring legislation making it a crime to withhold evidence of child abuse from police - even details revealed during confession.
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