The Catholic Church and Irish Government covered up decades of brutal sexual abuse and beatings by priests and nuns on thousands of children in state care, one of the most damning reports on clerical abuse revealed today.

THE Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse has heard claims that there is an “unbridgeable gulf” between the findings of school inspection reports and the personal experiences of children at former industrial schools run by the Sisters of Mercy.

The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse is to reverse its decision to only hear testimony from a sample of the abuse victims who have come forward to the inquiry.

The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse has announced its intention to resume its investigations next week.

THE Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse wants to reverse its policy on naming individual perpetrators.