Vatican "surprised", "disappointed" by "excessive reactions", recalls

A spokesman for the Vatican said that recalling a nunzio, the church’s equivalent of an ambassador, was a rare move that “denoted the seriousness of the situation,” as well the Holy See’s “will to deal with it with objectivity and determination.”

The spokesman, Rev. Ciro Benedettini, told reporters on Monday that Archbishop Leanza would return to Rome to consult with Vatican officials who are preparing the Holy See’s official response to the Irish government, but added that the decision “does not exclude some degree of surprise and disappointment at certain excessive reactions.”

The report caused a firestorm in the majority Catholic country, where for first time Irish lawmakers aimed their ire at the Vatican directly, and not at local church leaders.

In unprecedented remarks, Prime Minister Enda Kenny last week decried “the dysfunction, disconnection, elitism, and the narcissism, that dominate the culture of the Vatican to this day.” Last week the Irish parliament also passed a motion decrying the Vatican’s role in “undermining child protection frameworks.”

In a statement issued on Monday, the Vatican said it was recalling Archbishop Leanza following the release of the Cloyne Report “and in particular, the reactions that ensued.”