The Archbishop of Dublin has promised the diocese will co-operate fully with any body of inquiry, set up by "an appropriate authority", into the Church's handling of sexual abuse allegations.
Cardinal Desmond Connell said the diocese was in favour of a "thorough, independent and fully professional investigation of what has happened."
"In the wake of the recent Prime Timeprogramme about the sexual abuse of children by priests in the Dublin diocese and the entirely understandable anger, suffering and bewilderment following it, I want to repeat the Church's utter abhorrence of the evil which has been perpetrated and my own deep regret for serious inadequacies in our response," he said in a statement tonight.
"I am only too well aware, however, that repetitions of such sentiments on my part at this stage may serve little purpose. What is needed, once and for all, is a thorough, independent and fully professional investigation of what has happened."
He said establishing the truth as "unambiguously and as objectively as possible" is primarily in the interests of the victims of abuse, but also in the best interests of society at large and of the Church itself.
With this in mind, the diocese will co-operate fully. However, he said, the Church remains convinced that the Hussey Commission is the body best equipped to conduct such an investigation.
Judge Gillian Hussey will have the final authority on which of the Church's files will be admitted as evidence.
Dr Connell also said that since 1995, the names of all priests against whom allegations have been made, and the names of those who have made formal allegations, have been passed on to gardaí.
The only exceptions were where the complaint had already been made to the gardaí, he said.
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