Cardinal Desmond Connell has said tonight that in his view and actions the protection of children was never secondary to the protection of the Catholic Church.
Speaking to a congregation at Dublin's Pro Cathedral, Cardinal Connell made his comments in an effort to challenge a perception which had followed the screening of an RTE Primetime programme on incidents of clerical sexual abuse. This perception was that as archbishop his primary concern was to protect the institution of the church.
A spokeswoman for the Cardinal tonight said he had followed the advice of a panel of lay and clerical experts as well as the bishops' national guidelines in putting the welfare of children at the top of his agenda.
The Cardinal has also expressed his sincere regret over his appointment of Father Noel Reynolds as chaplain to the National Rehabilitation Hospital, Dun Laoghaire, in 1997 without telling authorities there about "concerns" that had been expressed about the priest since 1995.
The concerns related to the priest's inappropriate behaviour with children while parish priest in Glendalough, Co Wicklow.