The text of a letter sent by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin to priests of the Dublin archdiocese in recent days.
"I'm acutely aware that the events of recent weeks have been unsettling. I have been contacted directly by victims who say this has reawakened the hurt they have felt in the past.
When Pope Benedict met the Bishops he outlined the essential elements of policies to protect children:
'In your continuing efforts to deal effectively with this problem, it is important to establish the truth of what happened in the past, to take whatever steps are necessary to prevent it from occurring again, to ensure that the principles of justice are fully respected and, above all, to bring healing to the victims and to all those affected by these egregious crimes.'
This policy is what inspires me and the policies of the archdiocese of Dublin on all levels. This will not change.
I have made discovery of all relevant documents and the commission is in possession of all documents including those in respect of which a claim of privilege has been made.
It is better that they be dealt with expeditiously as soon as possible so that the commission can continue its work so that the child protection initiatives which have been introduced across the diocese and in which so much energy has been invested can flourish."