VATICAN CITY (AP) — Newly released, confidential U.S. diplomatic cables indicate that Ireland caved in to Vatican pressure to grant immunity to church officials in the investigation of decades of sex abuse by Irish clergy.
That the Holy See used its diplomatic immunity status as a tiny-city state to try to thwart Ireland's government-led probe has long been known. But the WikiLeaks reports disclose some behind-the-scenes diplomatic assessment of the highly charged situation.
On Saturday, the Vatican press office declined to comment on the content of the cables but decried the leaks as a matter of "extreme gravity."
The U.S. ambassador to the Holy See also condemned the leaks and said the Vatican and America cooperate in promoting universal values.
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