Supporters of rape victim Fiona Doyle are planning a solidarity rally outside Leinster House this weekend as anger over the handling of her case grows.

Ten days after making controversial remarks about child sex abuse, the Bishop of Clonfert apologised to survivors for comments which “may have given the impression” he was “minimising the gravity of the criminal activity”.

Abuse groups call for Bishop John Kirby to resign after he admitted that in the 1990s he thought paedophilia was “a friendship that crossed the boundary line”.

A long-serving bishop has sparked a storm of controversy over his fitness for the job after revealing he used to think paedophilia was friendship gone too far.

Pat Kenny has hit back at criticism from Sean Gallagher by accusing him of “seeking solace” for his failed presidential bid through a tweet read out during The Frontline debate.

Columnist Mary Kenny’s call for an inquiry that categorises the abuse by paedophile priest Brendan Smyth will devastate victims and stop them getting help, child abuse survivor Marie Collins said.

Clerical abuse victims have criticised the summary of the Vatican report into child protection practices as “window dressing”, but priests and the hierarchy have praised the document.

Mary Raftery’s work exposed many abusers who had been protected by the Church, writes Andrew Madden

ARCHBISHOP Diarmuid Martin has led tributes to a groundbreaking journalist who lifted the lid on clerical and institutional abuse in Ireland.

GROUPS supporting victims of child clerical sex abuse yesterday said the Vatican was indulging in “pure spin” in its response to the fallout from the Cloyne report.

A prominent clerical abuse survivor tonight dismissed the Vatican’s response as another attempt to absolve itself of responsibility for clerical cover-ups.

A leading campaigner for victims of clerical child abuse, Andrew Madden, has called on the former Bishop of Cloyne, John Magee, to fully explain his inaction against paedophile priests.

VICTIMS of clerical sex abuse have dismissed as “empty” and “insincere” expressions of shame and regret by the former bishop of Cloyne Dr John Magee for the abuse that took place under his watch.

A REBEL union of Catholic priests has described Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s historic Dáil speech as being steeped in “dignity”, “strength” and clear on what needs to be done.

LEADING clerical child sex abuse survivors have hailed Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s powerful Dáil stance as a moment historians may one day describe as the time when Ireland became a genuine republic.

INTERNAL audits into child protection have been completed in six dioceses, it emerged last night, with the Diocese of Raphoe likely to publish its report “in the near future”.

BISHOP John Magee last night stood accused of lying to the state over child protection procedures in the Cloyne Diocese, where he and his senior assistant failed a succession of victims of clerical sex abuse.

THE Catholic Church’s child protection tsar, Ian Elliott, was on the verge of resigning in the past year after a review of child protection standards in the country’s 26 dioceses was halted because the Church refused to co-operate.

THE Vatican inquiry team sent to Ireland by Pope Benedict XVI as part of church sex abuse investigations is set to report to the pontiff by Easter.

The Irish Catholic Bishop's conference has published a document marking one year since the Pope's pastoral letter.

THE Vatican denials that a 1997 letter to bishops urged them not to carry out mandatory reporting of clerical child sex abuse was labelled “dishonest spin” by anti-abuse campaigners.

Wikileaks documents published today show requests for information from the Murphy Commission "offended" many in the Vatican.

A survivor of clerical sex abuse insists he has no intention of meeting with a papal team who are due here in the coming weeks to look into Church's handling of child sex abuse allegations.

A PROMINENT survivor of clerical sex abuse has urged the Government to make it mandatory for schools to teach a programme that helps children protect themselves in danger situations.

IRISH survivors of clerical sex abuse have been invited to travel to the Vatican on October 31 to demand change from the Roman Catholic Church.

CLERICAL abuse survivors reacted with dismay last night as it emerged that two bishops criticised forneglecting victims are to be allowed retain their positions in the Church.

Two Catholic bishops whose resignations over a child sex abuse report were rejected by the Vatican will still be able to administer Confirmation, it emerged today.

A DOZEN people locked up by the state in industrial schools on tenuous charges have had their names cleared.

Clerical child abuse survivors Marie Collins and Andrew Madden are to receive public awards later today.

CLERICAL abuse victims have called for the role of the diocesan child protection delegate to be re-evaluated by the Catholic Church in the aftermath of the resignation of Cloyne delegate Father Bill Bermingham.

SEVERAL of the Catholic Church’s top enforcers against paedophile priests have been appointed by the Pope to carry out an inquiry into the Church’s handling of the problem here.

Abuse survivors claimed today that Cardinal Sean Brady’s vow to remain in office was a mistake and sent out a signal that the Church has not changed.

THE Catholic Church’s child protection watchdog is to meet Archbishop Diarmuid Martin this week over his claims that strong forces within the Church were still trying to hide the truth about paedophile priests.

POPE BENEDICT XVI has accepted the resignation of a third Irish bishop as a result of the Church’s handling of clerical child abuse.

BISHOPS criticised in the Pope’s pastoral letter could come under renewed pressure to resign after the message to Irish Catholics sparked anger among some victims’ groups.

Sunday Mass goers across the country were being read Pope Benedict’s words of apology in his pastoral letter on clerical child abuse today.

Pope Benedict today confronted the child abuse scandals which have rocked the Catholic Church in Ireland and told victims he was truly sorry for their suffering.

Survivors of clerical abuse today expressed mixed reactions to Pope Benedict’s much-anticipated pastoral letter.

Abuse support group One in Four has said today's pastoal letter from the Pope falls far short of addressing the concerns of victims of clerical abuse.

Abuse survivor Andrew Madden has said today's pastoral letter from Pope Benedict fails to address the issues raised by him and others in an open letter to the Pope last month.

DISILLUSIONED clerical abuse victims say they are expecting little from the Pope’s pastoral letter to the Irish people, due to be released today.

Jobs and the economy are set to top the agenda at Fine Gael's national conference in Co Kerry this weekend.

Survivors of clerical child abuse say the Church can't continue to have Cardinal Sean Brady at the helm in Ireland after it emerged he covered up allegations of abuse in the 1970's.

ABUSE victims have maintained the pressure on Cardinal Seán Brady to resign over his handling of paedophile priest, Fr Brendan Smyth, despite issuing another apology yesterday in which he acknowledged shame at his own past failings.