The Government has refused to back down in its row over the Vatican’s handling of cases of clerical sex abuse.

In its formal response to the Vatican’s statement last week, the Government said the now-notorious letter sent in 1997 from the-then apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Storeto, “provided a pretext for some members of the clergy to evade full co-operation with the Irish civil authorities in regard to the abuse of minors”.

In a speech in July that made worldwide headlines, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said the Cloyne report excavated the “dysfunction, disconnection, elitism, the narcissism, that dominate the culture of the Vatican to this day”.

The rape and torture of children were downplayed or “managed” to uphold instead the primacy of the institution, its power, standing and reputation, the Taoiseach said.

The unprecedented speech led to the recall of the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza, and a formal response from the Vatican last week.

The Vatican’s response disputed the 1997 letter that said mandatory reporting “gives rise to serious reservations of both a moral and a canonical nature”.

It stated that it was merely a “study document” and that in the following year Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos had made it clear to the Irish bishops that the church should not stand in the way of civil justice when it came to clerical child abuse.

That response was sent on September 3rd.

The Government statement this evening said the Taoiseach’s speech and comments from other political leaders “accurately reflect the public anger of the overwhelming majority of Irish people at the failure of the Catholic Church in Ireland and the Holy See to deal adequately with clerical child sexual abuse and those who committed such appalling acts”.

The statement also describes the church’s previous response as “appalling”, but it acknowledged the Vatican had promised a “constructive dialogue and co-operation with the Government”.

The statement added: “In welcoming this commitment the Government expects the fullest co-operation from the Holy See, the Catholic Church in Ireland and all other relevant bodies with a view to ensuing that Ireland is a society fully safe for children and minors and that all of those with responsibility for the welfare and care of children in this country are fully subject to Irish laws and requirements.”