Cardinal Sean Brady welcomed a call made on Sunday for an independent inquiry into the abuse of children by the notorious paedophile, the late Fr Brendan Smyth.Cardinal Brady has faced sharp criticism over his part in the Church's handling of the case in the 1970s.
A spokesman for the cardinal said on Sunday that he "welcomed and supported" the proposal made by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin, the Irish Times reported.
On Sunday Archbishop Martin said: "We're getting all these bits and pieces of information about a horrible situation, what Brendan Smyth did to children."
He added: "Until all of this story in its entirety comes out, we are not doing justice to those who were abused and we're not really getting at the truth. I do really believe that an independent commission of investigation into the activities of Brendan Smyth, as to how he was allowed to abuse for so many years [should take place] - an independent commission, which would look North and South, Church and State."
Referring to the calls made by some Irish politicians for the cardinal's resignation, he said: "I've never called for anybody's resignation. Everybody has to make their own decisions."