Survivors of clerical abuse tonight demanded a damming report on child sex abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese be published within the next week.
A High Court judge has given the go-ahead for its release, but ruled any reference to a priest who is facing criminal charges be removed amid fears it may prejudice a case.
Support groups claimed the order means any collusion between gardai, health chiefs and the Catholic Church will finally be scrutinised by the public.
Abuse victim Andrew Madden said he wants it released speedily and well ahead of the upcoming budget.
“We have clearance to publish most of the report and it’s time for the Government to get on with that very quickly before anything else goes wrong,” he added.
A spokesman for Justice Minister Dermot Ahern said the minister plans to publish the report as soon as possible, although no date has been given yet.
Up to 450 people have made abuse allegations against former priests in the diocese since 1940.
The long-running Commission of Inquiry into the Dublin Archdiocese has examined allegations against a sample 46 priests.
Mr Justice Paul Gilligan ruled on October 15th that all but one section of it — chapter 19 — could be published once any reference to one particular priest and his victims were censored throughout.
Now he has listed 41 sections of the document which make reference to a second cleric and his brother be omitted before it is made public.
Mr Justice Gilligan revealed he was only informed after his initial ruling that arrest warrants for the second priest, who is the subject matter of chapter 20, had been issued by a District Court at the beginning of October.
It is understood chapter 20 is also highly critical of gardai and other State authorities over their handling of the allegations.
“I have come to the conclusion that certain specified parts of the Commission’s report might prejudice criminal proceedings,” Mr Justice Gilligan told the court.
Outside the court Marie Collins, also a victim of clerical abuse, said the truth will come out.
“People will be vindicated, that we have been telling the truth all along that we were not imagining things or fantasising,” she said.
Ms Collins also felt it was suspicious an arrest warrant was issued for the priest concerned just before the last ruling.
“There’s no way of knowing the agenda that was behind the time, but it is odd to say the least,” said Ms Collins.
“To come back a second time, I really don’t think that should have happened. It should have all being done the last time.”
Meave Lewis, of support group One in Four, said services could now prepare to deal with influx of people who they expect will need help.
“While large sections of chapter 20 will now be redacted I feel content that the analysis of the role between the gardai, the Eastern Health Board and the Catholic Church in preventing the prosecution of child sexual abusers will now be under public scrutiny.
“The collusion that took place between the civil authorities and the church authorities is of crucial importance and should be in the public domain.”
The Dublin inquiry, which has also been examining high-profile allegations in the Cloyne diocese in Cork, is headed by Judge Yvonne Murphy and has uncovered thousands of cases of abuse by priests.
The report will be the second devastating scandal to rock the Church in Ireland this year after the Ryan report laid bare the physically and psychologically abusive regimes operated by religious orders in church and state-run institutions.
The report will look at the handling of allegations by 19 clerics in the Catholic hierarchy, including Cardinal Desmond Connell who last year dropped a potentially embarrassing court challenge to stop the Dublin Commission getting access to 5,586 secret Church files.
Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said he is pleased with the High Court ruling.
“It had been his preference that the report could be published in its entirety, but he understands the complex issues that had to be considered,” said a spokeswoman.
“Archbishop Martin said he hoped when the report is in the public domain, survivors of abuse will be able to access adequate support services at what is certain to be a difficult time for them and their families.”
PA