Roman Catholic bishops from across the State are meeting today to discuss how to deal with the child sexual abuse scandal that has hit the church.
The conference of Irish bishops at St Patrick's College in Maynooth, Co Kildare, is expected to discuss plans proposed two weeks ago for an internal audit to investigate alleged sex abuse.
The bishops are meeting amid ongoing demands from the victims of paedophile priests for explanations about how their abusers are free to continue offending.
It will also address ways of extending the powers of the Church's Child Protection Office. The meeting might run on into tomorrow and a statement is expected to be issued at the end of the talks.
The bishops are not expected to hold a press conference after senior churchmen faced tough questioning at the last meeting.
The meeting today comes on the same day 13 US cardinals are travelling to Rome to meet the Pope over a similar sex abuse scandal affecting the church in the United States.