A Circuit Court judge has been named as chair of the Commission investigating the handling of allegations of child sexual abuse against clergy in the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin.
The Government has nominated Judge Yvonne Murphy of the Circuit Court as chair of the Commission of Investigation, along with three other members. They have yet to be appointed.
Under the terms of reference, the Commission of Investigation will select and investigate a representative sample of complaints or allegations of child sexual abuse made from January 1st, 1975 to May 1st, 2004 against clergy in the diocese. The Diocese's reaction, if any, to the complaints will also be examined.
The Commission will be required to examine any Catholic diocese in the State, if the Minister for Children Brian Lenihan notifies them that it may not have established the structures set up in a 1996 framework for Church response to child sexual abuse by priests. It will be working to establish the response of the Archdiocese and other Church, public and State authorities to those sample cases.
Mr McDowell said he intends to publish the report of the Commission once it is completed. It is expected the Commission will take 18 months to complete its inquiry.
The Archbishop of Dublin Dr Diarmuid Martin said the Commission would have the full co-operation of the Dublin Diocese. He has revealed allegations had been made against 67 priests in his jurisdiction dating back to 1940, while only eight priests who served in the diocese have been convicted of sexual abuse.
"It is vitally important that the truth of what happened regarding abuse of children by priests is brought to light. We can only begin to fully address the issue of child abuse when we establish what happened in the past," Dr Martin said.
In 2004, an independent child protection consultant was appointed to examine all files at the Archbishop's house to ensure all complaints were identified and over 22,000 documents were made available to assist gardai. Archbishop Martin said he wrote to all priests in the Diocese following the Ferns report to ask them to consult with laity as to how child protection structures could be improved.
Mr McDowell defended the decision not to to establish a series of commissions to work in parallel in each diocese around the country.
"The name of the game and the process is not to uncover in minute detail every case of alleged sexual abuse, as was done in Ferns, right across Ireland," he said. "That is not the process which the Government envisages, for the very simple reason that would be a colossal task, it would require numerous inquiries.
"We don't propose simply to unleash a grand inquisition right across Ireland into every allegation of child sexual abuse by every Catholic clergyman."
One in Four, which represents the victims of child abuse, tonight welcomed the announcement of a Commission of Investigation.
"This investigation, first promised by Government in October 2002, must now commence as soon as practically possible. The events into which it will inquire are not simply historic events," the group said.
"Understanding the nature of the clearly deficient responses of both Catholic Church and State agencies to complaints, concerns or allegations of abuse is also essential if we are to remedy the shortcomings in both legislation and policy that allowed such abuse to happen in the first instance."