Two of the sexual abuse victims of Wexford priest, Father Sean Fortune, who told their story in a BBC documentary on Tuesday night have said they are not satisfied with the response of the Bishop of Ferns, Dr Brendan Comiskey, following the programme.
Dr Comiskey declined to be interviewed for the documentary, Suing the Pope, which featured the personal testimonies of four of Father Fortune's victims and also linked the suicides of four other young men in the Fethard-on-Sea area of Co Wexford with the priest's sexual abuse activities.
But the bishop issued a statement yesterday.
Quoting from a letter he sent to BBC journalist, Ms Sarah McDonald, in February communicating his decision not to take part in the programme, Bishop Comiskey said he had publicly apologised already and did so again now to any person in the Diocese of Ferns who had been sexually abused by a priest.
"Along with others in positions of authority I have learned many painful lessons about the pervasiveness of child sexual abuse. I know that in responding in the past to complaints of abuse I have not always got it right," he said.
Bishop Comiskey, who is being sued by six of Father Fortune's victims in relation to his alleged failure to take appropriate action to protect them from abuse, said he regretted Ms McDonald had chosen to ignore his statement in the making of the programme.
He reiterated his "heartfelt apology" to the survivors and invited them to come forward.
His spokesman, Father John Carroll, said that as a result of the comments made by four of the victims on the programme, Bishop Comiskey felt he was permitted to write to them for the first time.
"This is a course of action which the Bishop has - to date - not felt free to take lest it be misinterpreted as seeking to dissuade them from the legal route to justice which is their natural right," said Father Carroll.
However, Mr Damien McAlean who was abused by Father Fortune when he was a 13-year-old scout in Belfast in the late 1970s, said yesterday that as far as he was concerned, it was "too little, too late".
"That is not an apology," he said. "Anyone can write down 'sorry' on a piece of paper."
Mr McAlean, who is now 36 and living in Wexford town, said he felt "totally shattered" after watching the programme. He found it difficult to watch images of Father Fortune, who committed suicide in 1999 while facing 66 criminal charges of sexual abuse involving eight boys.
He agreed to be interviewed mainly because he wanted to encourage other people who have been abused by Father Fortune or anyone else to come forward.
"I said I was not going to get my face covered. I had nothing to be ashamed of. I did nothing wrong. I wanted to say to other people who have been abused that it's better to come forward."
"I honestly reckon there are more people in Belfast who were abused by him and are afraid to come forward."
Another of Father Fortune's victims, Mr Colm O'Gorman, who was involved in the making of the programme and initiated the contacts with many of those featured said in response to Bishop Comiskey's statement: "I would love to know what he is apologising for. I'm relieved to hear that he feels the need to apologise. I think that's appropriate but I would like that apology detailed in some way."
Mr O'Gorman said he was "very proud" to have been involved in the programme.
He said a telephone helpline set up in association with the documentary had been inundated with calls from abuse victims and there was also a huge response to the programme from members of the public in England.
"What I hope is that people who felt angry and moved and outraged at watching the programme will continue that and do something effective with it. We have gone a long way in Ireland in relation to this issue but we have a way to go and let's keep going," he said.
The programme resulted in a huge number of calls to South East Radio in Wexford yesterday, according to spokeswoman for the station. People began telephoning at 8 a.m., expressing support for the victims' courage.