McDowell under pressure to act on sex abuse

The Minister for Justice is expected to face renewed pressure to set up a statutory inquiry into clerical sex abuse when he meets victims' groups this afternoon.

Mr Michael McDowell is holding separate meetings with delegations from the Survivors of Child Abuse (SOCA) and the Rape Crisis Centre at the Department.

SOCA spokesman Mr John Kelly said they would seek assurances from the Government that it is prepared to fully investigate the Catholic Church's handling of allegations of abuse.

He said he wants the gardaí to be given full power to seize all relevant documentation held by the Church and for the legal representatives of victims to be granted full access to the papers.

"All questions will relate to one particular issue, sovereignty. What we need to know does Rome rule or the Irish State rule?" Mr Kelly said. "We need to know are the Irish police subservient to Rome? Is the Irish state subservient to Rome?"

Two weeks ago Mr McDowell announced in the Dáil that the Government would initiate "some type of inquiry" into allegations of abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese. He did not elaborate on whether or not this inquiry would have statutory powers.

A Department of Justice source told ireland.comthat an announcement on the exact nature of this inquiry would not be made until next week, and that today's meetings were part of "an ongoing consultation process".

Following the announcement, Mr Colm O'Gorman, of the One in Four group, said was "essential" there be a criminal investigation into the handling of complaints of clerical child sex abuse in Dublin.

A chief superintendent and additional gardaí have since been appointed to investigate cases of clerical sex abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese.

The Government also said it was setting up an non-statutory inquiry into the handling of clerical child sex abuse complaints in Ferns diocese.