The Government is to establish a non-statutory inquiry into the handling of clerical child sex abuse complaints in Ferns diocese by the end of the year, it was announced last night.
It follows a preliminary investigation during the summer by Mr George Birmingham SC into what would be the most suitable inquiry for the context.
The Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, said it was too soon to talk of a State investigation into the handling of clerical child sex abuse complaints in the Dublin archdiocese.
However, the Fine Gael spokesman on justice, Mr John Deasy, called for an independent Garda inquiry into the Prime Timerevelations.
Cardinal Desmond Connell last night expressed his sincere regret over his appointment of Father Noel Reynolds as chaplain to the National Rehabilitation Hospital, Dun Laoghaire, in 1997 without telling authorities there about "concerns" that had been expressed about the priest since 1995.
The concerns related to the priest's inappropriate behaviour with children while parish priest in Glendalough, Co Wicklow.