The future of the Catholic Church's Commission on Child Sexual Abuse in Ireland is believed to be in doubt, The Irish Times has learned. Patsy McGarry, Irish Times Religious Affairs Correspondent reports.
This follows acceptance this week by the Government of proposals from the Minister for Justice for a new form of State inquiry to investigate clerical child sex abuse.
It is understood Judge Gillian Hussey, appointed by Ireland's Catholic bishops, the Conference of Religious of Ireland (CORI), and the Irish Missionary Union (IMU) to chair the commission announced last June, will hold a meeting of its seven members next week to consider its future.
It is believed she then plans to meet the bishops, CORI and the IMU to seek their views.
Judge Hussey is also expected to seek a meeting with the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell.
It is already clear that, should the commission go ahead with its work, it will not now be in a position to bring in an interim report by the end of February as planned.
Little progress has been made on its terms of reference since mid-October when, following the RTÉ Prime Time, Cardinal Secrets programme, it was first indicated that Mr McDowell was considering setting up a form of flexible State inquiry to investigate clerical child sex abuse.
Such an inquiry structure is being designed to replace costly tribunals used for investigating matters of public importance.
It is understood Mr McDowell is anxious the inquiry into clerical child sex abuse be set up as soon as possible, and he intends that the necessary legislation will be before the Dáil early in the New Year.
To date, he has met victims' groups on the matter and a delegation of bishops, including the Catholic Primate, Archbishop Seán Brady; Bishop Bill Murphy of Kerry; and the Apostolic Administrator to Ferns diocese, Bishop Eamonn Walsh, at which his proposed inquiry was discussed.
Church sources last night expressed hopes any such State inquiry should also include accused priests in religious orders and religious brothers, not just diocesan priests as indicated at present.
This is seen as essential if the problem of clerical child sex abuse in Ireland is to be addressed comprehensively.
The Commission on Child Sexual Abuse, or Hussey Commission, was set up on June 27th to "establish the truth about the extent of child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church in Ireland, and the response of Church authorities to complaints of such abuse".
It was planned it would investigate all 26 dioceses and every Catholic institution on the island of Ireland, including within Northern Ireland, something no State inquiry set up by the Government in the Republic can do.
However, the commission has no powers of compellability and is dependent entirely on the co-operation of relevant Church authorities.
Second judge is named to head abuse redress body: page 9