Dublin closes vatican embassy over sex abuse
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Irish government has announced the closure of its embassy to the Vatican, starkly illustrating that relations between Dublin and the Catholic Church are at an historically glacial low.
The government and the Vatican remain in serious disagreement over child abuse by the clergy, with the Irish Prime Minister, Enda Kenny, accusing Rome of trying to sabotage official inquiries. He has already accused the Church of "dysfunction, disconnection, elitism and narcissism", which he claimed dominated the culture of the Vatican.
Traditionally, Ireland has been unusually close to the Catholic Church, but its faith was greatly shaken by a series of damning reports on the Church's alleged indifference to child sex abuse by priests and other clerics. Over the past decade, thousands of people have complained of abuse while in Church care.
Officially, the government said the embassy "yields no economic return". In fact, its closure, together with those in Iran and Timor-Leste, will bring an annual saving of little more than €1m.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments