Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has said that all bishops named in the Commission of Investigation into the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin as being part of a cover-up should resign.
Speaking at a Fine Gael event in Dublin, Mr Kenny said morning people who were in positions if authority and knew what was going on should no longer continue in such positions.
"This is another appalling litany of shame. Apologies here are not good enough," he said.
"This is a case where men protected guilty men. This is where those in authority knew what was going on," he said.
While not calling for any specific resignations, he expressed concern that the phenomenon related not just to the1950s, but also continued into the 1990s. "From the point of view of personal leadership and integrity… those who were in those positions, and who are still in position, should not continue in those positions," he said.
Meanwhile, the Labour Party's justice spokesman Pat Rabbitte said tonight there is no place in education for any bishop implicated in the report.
"Whether bishops implicated in the Murphy report resign or not is a matter for the Catholic Church," he said. "However, whether any such bishop should remain as a patron of a school or otherwise continue in the management or supervision of education or health provision for children is a matter for the State.
"Therefore where a bishop has been directly implicated in the Murphy report, he should have no role as a school patron."