A Government motion on the Cloyne report being debated in the Dáil today “deplores the Vatican’s intervention which contributed to the undermining of the child protection frameworks and guidelines of the Irish State and the Irish bishops”.

It expresses “dismay at the disturbing findings of the report and at the inadequate and inappropriate response, particularly of the church authorities in Cloyne, to complaints and allegations of child sexual abuse.”

Earlier today, Minister for Justice Alan Shatter today said comments made by Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi about the recently published Cloyne report are "somewhat unfortunate and disingenuous".

Making his first extended comments on the implications of the report, Fr Lombardi said yesterday there was nothing in the advice given by the papal nuncio to Irish bishops which could be interpreted as an invitation to cover up abuse cases.

Fr Lombardi said a controversial letter from papal nuncio Luciano Storero in 1997 was grossly misinterpreted following publication of the report last week.

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore last night ruled out expelling the papal nuncio, however. A spokesman said the Government needed to ensure that diplomatic channels remained open in order to communicate its views to the Vatican and receive its response. Mr Gilmore said the Government was awaiting a formal response from the Vatican to the Cloyne report.

His spokesman said: “While a deadline for a response was not set, the Tánaiste has made it clear that if a response is not forthcoming in a reasonable time frame, it will be followed up on.”

Speaking about the seal of confession yesterday, Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald said, “how the church deals with the laws of the State, that’s up to the church . . .” She said the confessional issue was “a bit of a distraction . . . What we saw in Cloyne was that . . . people talked about abuse in offices, in rooms of the diocese, not in confession, and they weren’t acted on.”

She also said the legislation would allow “in exceptional circumstances”, where a victim requests it, that the abuse would not be reported.

Ms Fitzgerald yesterday also laid before the Oireachtas the second progress report on the implementation of recommendations in the Ryan report on abuse in residential institutions for children. The report lists “key achievements” since the Ryan report’s publication in May 2009. These include a placement service for children. Gardaí throughout the State can now ring a single phone number to access foster care arrangements on an out-of-hours basis.