How the Catholic Church has handled cover-ups and sex abuse

Q: Are the police called in suspected sex abuse cases? A: Irish bishops who considered adopting a mandatory reporting policy in 1997 received a letter from the Vatican warning in-house Church investigations could be compromised. But nowadays, in countries where clergy are required to report child abuse, bishops and superiors of religious orders are supposed to notify police. However, the policy is non-binding and was only articulated publicly in 2010.

https://www.independent.ie/world-news/europe/how-the-catholic-church-has-handled-coverups-and-sex-abuse-37841556.html