US diplomatic cables: Vatican refused to help in child abuse inquiry

According to the cables, the call was refused as the requests were not made through official channels. The whistleblower website shows how requests for information the 2009 Murphy Commission “offended many in the Vatican … because they saw them as an affront to Vatican sovereignty.”

When the Murphy commission’s findings were published in November 2009, it had sent shockwaves across Ireland and the worldwide Catholic community by detailing how Church authorities covered up for paedophile priests in Dublin for three decades.

The cables reveal how the commission led by judge Yvonne Murphy, wrote directly to Vatican officials to ask for information on its investigations, sidestepping official diplomatic channels.

"While Vatican contacts immediately expressed deep sympathy for the victims and insisted that the first priority was preventing a recurrence, they also were angered by how the situation played out politically," the cable said.

"The Murphy Commission's requests offended many in the Vatican, the Holy See's Assessor Peter Wells... told DCM (Noyes), because they saw them as an affront to Vatican sovereignty.

"Vatican officials were also angered that the government of Ireland did not step in to direct the Murphy Commission to follow standard procedures in communications with Vatican City.

"Adding insult to injury, Vatican officials also believed some Irish opposition politicians were making political hay with the situation by calling publicly on the government to demand that the Vatican reply."