it is claimed in today's Irish Times that "the Pope has written to his Irish bishops, directing them to report, solely and exclusively all matters pertaining to child abuse by their clergy, to the Vatican alone, and not to the civil authority. A second and following letter commanded total secrecy regarding both. The two letters were in Latin."


FWIW
Depends what you mean by "recent" - and what you mean by "Pope". It was 2001 and he (the current Pope) wasn't Pope!