The Catholic Primate, Archbishop Seán Brady, said yesterday that bishops would "supply the information they consider necessary" to State inquiries into clerical child sex abuse, writes Patsy McGarry, Religious Affairs Correspondent.
He also said they would co-operate fully with Mr George Birmingham SC's preliminary State investigation into clerical child sex abuse in the diocese of Ferns.
However, the degree of this co-operation remained unclear, particular where diocesan files were concerned. A spokeswoman for the Catholic Communications Office said last night that the bishops would "discharge their responsibilities" where such state inquiries are concerned.
Archbishop Brady was speaking at a press conference in Maynooth which took place at the end of a day-long extraordinary general meeting of Ireland's bishops. It was called to consider the clerical child sex abuse issue and followed the resignation of the Bishop of Ferns, Dr Brendan Comiskey.
At an interval in yesterday's meeting, Mr Gerry Kelly, a former resident of Artane Industrial School in Dublin who claims he was abused, confronted Bishops Michael Smith, Willie Walsh, the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Lazarotto, and Auxillary Bishop of Dublin Dr Martin Drennan. He later had a meeting with Dr Brady and Cardinal Connell.
The bishops are to set up an independent audit of the island's 26 dioceses to establish the truth about how complaints of child sexual abuse have been dealt with. Last night it emerged that it is intended to publish the audit's findings.
The bishops also decided to extend the powers of the Child Protection Office, set up by them at Maynooth last year, and appointed retired judge Ms Gillian Hussey as chairwoman of their Child Protection Committee. She succeeds Bishop Eamonn Walsh, who has been appointed to Ferns by Rome.
Yesterday's meeting of the bishops was addressed by Rev Dr Eamon Conway of Mary Immaculate College, Limerick; Mr John Morgan, a member of the Bishops Child Protection Committee; Irish Times columnist Breda O'Brien; and by civil and canon lawyers.
The independent audit was first proposed by Dr Brady and Dr Connell in a joint statement issued on Friday night.
The bishops's decision to back this proposal was announced at yesterday's press conference, which was attended by Dr Brady and the cardinal, with the Bishop of Clogher, Dr Joseph Duffy; the Bishop of Kerry, Dr Bill Murphy; Mr Paul Bailey, director of the bishops Child Protection Office; and Ms Brenda Drumm of the Catholic Communications Office.
In a statement, the bishops said that the precise means by which the audit could be most effectively carried out were under consideration. Its terms of reference were being drawn up and would be announced at a later meeting, while consultations as to who would conduct it were ongoing.
Dr Brady said yesterday's decisions were "the beginning of a process". As well as investigating the handling of clerical child sex abuse complaints to date, the audit would also make recommendations for the protection of young people in the future, he said. "We want to get at the truth, we want to provide these independent auditors with whatever information they consider relevant and necessary to their discovery of that".
Dr Connell said he would be making a statement in the near future on abuse victim Ms Marie Collins's criticisms of the archdiocese's handling of her complaints.
Last night Mr Colm O'Gorman, who had been abused by Father Seán Fortune, welcomed the bishops' planned audit and said he considered it "very important if they indicated co-operation with the Birmingham investigation".