Archbishop Eamon Martin contacted Taoiseach Micheál Martin about the campaign by the family of murdered Denis Donaldson for a judge-led inquiry into his death.
The intervention by the Catholic Primate of Ireland came after members of Mr Donaldson’s family had met the Taoiseach last year.
The Archbishop’s letter to the Taoiseach was released under the Freedom of Information Act.
Mr Donaldson was a former IRA member who worked in the Sinn Féin Stormont offices. He was shot dead in April 2006 in a remote cottage near Glenties, Co Donegal, after public disclosure in December 2005 that he had been an informer for 20 years for MI5 and the Police Service of Northern Ireland Special Branch.
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The Garda investigation into his death is ongoing.
Mr Donaldson’s family met the Taoiseach on September 2nd last as they continued their campaign for an inquiry into his death.
On September 11th, Archbishop Martin wrote to the Taoiseach and outlined how he had been contacted by Mr Donaldson’s daughter, Jane Kearney, who had asked him for assistance in her father’s case.
He wrote: “In particular, the family is asking the Irish Government to establish a judge-led inquiry into the murder of their father.”
Archbishop Martin said he had mentioned the matter to Tánaiste Simon Harris and some officials at the British-Irish Association conference in Oxford the previous weekend.
He said he was “pleased to hear that you recently met with the family”, adding: “I thank you for this and encourage you to continue to do all you can to support the Donaldson family’s plea for help.”
A spokesman said the Archbishop “reached out to the Taoiseach in a pastoral capacity on behalf of the daughter of Denis Donaldson RIP”, and the letter was acknowledged by the Department of the Taoiseach.
The Donaldson family’s solicitor Enda McGarrity said Archbishop Martin is “one of a cross-section of people in public life”, which includes former police ombudsman for Northern Ireland Nuala O’Loan and former Northern Ireland human rights commissioner Prof Monica McWilliams, who share the Donaldson family’s concerns and support their request for a judge-led commission of investigation.
Mr McGarrity said 20 years had passed since “what my clients believe was a cross-Border conspiracy to expose and murder Denis Donaldson”. His clients have voiced concerns about the adequacy of existing legal mechanisms to properly deal with this “complex case which will involve highly sensitive evidence held by state agencies on both sides of the Border”, he said.
“My clients have been engaging with the Irish Government at the highest levels in the hope of securing an effective legal remedy which complies with national and European human rights standards,” he said.
A Department of Justice statement said Mr Donaldson’s murder “was a callous act of violence”.
“It is regrettable that to date it has not been possible to bring those responsible to court to answer for their actions,” it said, adding that inquiries and investigations into his death have been undertaken in the Republic and Northern Ireland.
[ Denis Donaldson murder inquiry ‘proves police didn’t do enough’, says familyOpens in new window ]
It added that the criminal investigation by An Garda Síochána remains “open and ongoing”, while its understanding is that the inquest into his death had been adjourned to ensure any future criminal proceedings are not compromised.
”In those circumstances, and particularly in the light of the active criminal investigation by An Garda Síochána, the Minister has previously indicated to Mr Donaldson’s family that it would not be appropriate to consider the establishment of a commission of inquiry," the department added.
Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan is expected to meet Mr Donaldson’s family this month.
