PARTS of the report on child abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese are likely to be blacked out when the document is published. The censor strips, officially referred to as redactions, became more likely last night after the Cabinet decided to send the report to the Attorney General (AG) for his views. The AG could yet refer the report to the High Court to decide on how much can be published.
Justice Minister Dermot Ahern briefed the Cabinet on the report yesterday, which names a number of persons currently before the courts in relation to alleged abuse by priests.
Mr Ahern told his colleagues that he was obliged by legislation to seek the AG's advice on elements within the report that might be prejudicial to criminal proceedings.
The report is the work of Circuit Court Judge Yvonne Murphy, who looked into 450 separate instances of alleged abuse by ordained priests of the Dublin Archdiocese.
A government spokesman said last night that the AG would consider the issues, and it could be up to the High Court to offer clarification.
He was unable to say whether there might be a special sitting before the courts resume in September.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet yesterday considered an implementation plan to respond to recommendations brought forward by the Ryan report.
The statements of financial affairs by 18 religious orders, which the Government demanded in the wake of the Ryan report, are being received.
The "vast majority" of submissions have come in, a government spokesman said, although "one or two are substantially delayed".
The Government wants to see a full picture before it settles on an amount that it will require the orders to pay.
Compensation
The Catholic Church paid only €128m under a 2002 indemnity deal that would otherwise result in 90pc of the compensation paid at the residential institutions' redress board -- estimated at €1.3bn -- being lumped onto the shoulders of the taxpayer.
The religious orders are due back to Government shortly, after which the Cabinet will appoint a three-person special audit commission to check that the accounts received accurately reflect the financial health of the Church bodies concerned.
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