The report in to the handling of clerical sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Dublin has been delayed by at least one month. It may not now be published until the autumn, The Irish Catholic has learned.
The Commission of Inquiry, chaired by Ms Justice Yvonne Murphy, was due to finish the report by the end of May.
Delays
However, a spokesperson for the Commission told The Irish Catholic this week that the final report had been delayed and that the Commission was not yet in a position to forward its findings to the Government.
With the Oireachtas expected to rise for the summer recess as early as the first week in July, the Government is unlikely to publish the report without making provision for a Dáil debate.
The Dáil is not expected to be recalled after the summer break until early October.
The Commission selected a representative sample of complaints or allegations of child sexual abuse made to Church and State authorities between 1975 and 2004.
The report is expected to find that hundreds of children were abused by priests of the Dublin Archdiocese. Crucially the report is also charged with investigating how archdiocesan and civil authorities, including the Gardaí, handled such allegations.
Slow process
Ita Mangan, solicitor for the Commission told The Irish Catholic: ''We are literally dotting the Is and crossing the Ts at this stage and that is proving to be a very slow process.''
However, she said, ''we hope to be in a position to deliver the final report to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform before the end of June''.
Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern is expected to discuss the details of the report with the Attorney General before bringing the details to Cabinet before publication.
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has been holding a series of meetings with priests and parish council representatives with a view to preparing them for the findings.
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