Former Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan has said it is a scandal that the Catholic Church's child protection watchdog has not been able to complete its diocesan reviews of child abuse.
She said the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church is under-staffed and under-resourced.
Ms O'Loan warned that history tells us that there may still be men in active ministry against whom allegations were made, which were never investigated.
Speaking in Dublin, she commended the Board's chief executive Ian Elliot and the Board itself as well as church structures for putting current child protection measures in place.
But she said the reviews of the handling of all allegations made since 1975 in the country's dioceses have still not been completed six years after church leaders established the National Board.
She noted that there are bishops who have cooperated with and encouraged the review, but said it is a scandal that the work is not yet complete.
She said that despite its best endeavours the Board has not been able to do its work as quickly as it would have wished, and in the context of the necessary relationship of trust.
Last November, the first six of the country's 26 dioceses published reviews completed by the Board.
Ms O'Loan was speaking at the launch of a book by Fr Brian Lennon, called "Can I Stay in the Catholic Church?" at the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice.