The former head of the Church body set up to protect children in Ireland has attacked the Irish bishops’ efforts in this area.
Ian Elliott has accused the bishops of “minimal responses and empty gestures” when dealing with clerical abuse.
Mr Elliott headed the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland for six years.
During his work with the Church, Mr Elliott said he met with “misinformation and misrepresentation” from the Irish hierarchy and other Church bodies.
He called for safeguarding practice to be independently examined and for the uncensored findings to be made available to the lay faithful.
A spokesman for the Irish bishops told The Tablet that bishops “have been consistent in promoting a culture of child safeguarding in their respective dioceses and in resourcing best practice”.