- VATICAN CITY: The Vatican has recalled its ambassador to Ireland following severe criticism by the Irish parliament of the Church’s role in covering up child sex abuse, a spokesman said on Monday.
Deputy Vatican spokesman Father Ciro Benedettini said Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza, the Apostolic Nuncio of Ireland, had been recalled from Dublin for consultations.
The highly unusual step follows last week’s unprecedented rebuke of the Holy See by the Irish parliament in the wake of a report which accused Church authorities of concealing the sexual abuse of children by priests as recently as 2009.
