Ireland Shuts down Vatican Embassy

For the last decade, the cause of the estrangement between church and state in Eire hasn't just been because of growing secularisation, which, as I've said, should be used solely in relative terms when it comes to Ireland. Rather, it's been caused by a serious disagreement between the two institutions over the thorniest issue in Ireland today - clerical child abuse. Ireland's prime minister, Enda Kenny, leader of the centre-right Fine Gael party, has repeatedly and openly accused the Papacy of trying to sabotage official inquiries into the extent of the Catholic clergy's abuse of children - sexual, psychological and physical - over the course of the twentieth century. In the aftermath of the frankly horrific Ryan Report (investigating clerical child abuse in Ireland from 1936 onwards, published 2009) and the Cloyne Report (sexual abuse of children in the diocese of Cloyne since 1996, published 2011), Taoiseach Kenny accused the Catholic Church and the Vatican of "dysfunction, disconnection, elitism and narcissism". The Vatican rebutted his claims, both in general and in the specifics, and, understandably, relations between the two bodies have been (at best) frosty ever since.

Whether it's financial or political, or maybe both, a good thing, a bad thing or a pointless thing, the closing down of the embassy of the Republic of Ireland to the Holy See and the fact that from 2005 to 2011 the British ambassador to the Vatican was a Roman Catholic from Northern Ireland (Francis Martin-Xavier Campbell) are examples of how, in history, the improbable is always possible.

It is now official, the Irish Government hates the Catholic Church. Our Taoiseach attacked the Pope in June, and now they are closing the Embassy to the Holy See. It really is a teenage tantrum gone too far, and I fear that much damage will be done before adolescence is over. The closure makes no real sense, (unless you are a huffing teenager). The Tanaiste has said that the Embassy is of no economic benefit. So I expect that we will have more embassy closures in the near future. (Not a chance, as the closure of the Embassy to the Holy See has nothing to do with economics, it is entirely political). The anti-catholic labour party are busy furthering their social agenda, and no doubt they are very pleased with themselves. We are at a very dangerous juncture in Irish history, people are distracted by our economic uncertainties, and the devil himself is running amuck in our beloved land. Our government hates our church, so what now for the catholics of this country?

A leading politician has called on Enda Kenny to come clean on the decision to close Ireland’s embassy at the Vatican.

Fianna Fail deputy leader Eamon O Cuiv has claimed that the closure is linked to the government’s recent row with the Holy See.

Now O Cuiv, grandson of former Irish President Eamon de Valera, has joined the debate and challenged Kenny and his government to tell the truth.

“The decision to close the Irish Embassy to the Holy See in the Vatican was purely a political one and the Government should have the guts to say that is what it was,” said O Cuiv.

“It is nonsense to insist it was not a political decision, and it was most definitely not a fiscal decision.”

Read more: http://www.irishcentral.com/news/De-Valeras-grandson-challenges-Vatican-embassy-closure-133320183.html#ixzz1d9MOpJWk