THE Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, has denied his absence from a press conference by the Irish Hierarchy in Rome earlier this week was linked to any tension with his fellow bishops.

A Vatican meeting between Irish bishops and Pope Benedict XVI will enter its second day today with the past handling of child abuse scandals top of the agenda.

The authorities are paralysed to bring paedophile priests and the senior clerics who covered up decades of horrific abuse to justice, victims have claimed today.

Irish bishops meeting the Pope in Rome have been told that clergy who had sinned must admit blame for their "abominable acts".

A Vatican meeting between Irish bishops and Pope Benedict XVI gets under way today with the past handling of child abuse scandals on the agenda.

Survivors of clerical abuse tonight demanded leadership and accountability from Pope Benedict as bishops prepared for a major Vatican summit over the devastating scandals.

Catholic bishops gathered for an extraordinary general meeting today in the wake of the damning report into clerical child sex abuse in the Dublin archdiocese.

A LEADING theologian who called for all bishops named in the Murphy report to resign has backtracked, insisting the Bishop of Galway should not be forced from his post.

THE date after which the Catholic Church’s culture of covering up clerical abuse of children ended must be made known, a Catholic newspaper has written.

BISHOP Martin Drennan must go. He may have the support of Galway priests, but this is irrelevant to the cover-up of the Dublin scandals. He is in denial when he states his situation is different to that of the other Dublin bishops with whom he had collective responsibility.

THE Bishop of Galway, Martin Drennan, is coming under increased pressure to reverse his decision not to resign due to the findings of the Murphy report into cleric child sex abuse in Dublin.

The last of five bishops named in an expose of the Catholic Church’s cover-up of child sex abuse will not resign, his spokesman said tonight.

Pressure is mounting on the only serving bishop named in the Murphy report yet to resign.

There is increasing pressure on the three remaining Bishops named in the Murphy report to resign.

PRESSURE is mounting on three serving bishops named in the Murphy report to step down from office after Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin James Moriarty announced he had offered his resignation to Pope Benedict XVI.

GROUPS that provide support for those abused by Irish Catholic clerics last night called on all bishops named in the Murphy report to resign.

A FORMER Government minister has said there is no need for the Bishop of Galway to resign in the wake of the Murphy Report.

Galway West Fianna Fáil TD Frank Fahey has said there is no reason for the Bishop of Galway Martin Drennan to resign.

A BATTLE-WEARY Bishop of Galway Martin Drennan has said he will not be resigning his post unless he can no longer “be a source of unity” in the diocese.

The country’s Catholic hierarchy faced further damage tonight after an under-fire Bishop clashed with a colleague over a sickening child abuse scandal.

Garry O’Sullivan argues that, to have a credible long-term future, the Irish Catholic Church needs radical surgery

VICTIMS support group One in Four has accused the Vatican of making a “wholly inadequate” response to the Murphy report and failing to accept responsibility for the cover-up of sexual abuse worldwide.

Pope Benedict today accepted the resignation of a under-fire Bishop of Limerick Dr Donal Murray over his “inexcusable” mishandling of a child sex abuse case.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin tonight said he hoped justice had been served after a paedophile priest named in a damning State inquiry was jailed for sexually assaulting an altar boy.

A SENIOR theologian has urged all five still-practising bishops who failed to prevent the sexual abuse of children in the Dublin Archdiocese to resign for the sake of the Church.

THE Pope has said he was deeply disturbed and distressed by the findings of a sickening child sex abuse inquiry and plans to write a letter to the Catholics of Ireland.

Pope Benedict XVI today has expressed his "profound regret at the actions of some members of the clergy".

The country's most senior Catholic clerics are due to meet the Pope today to discuss fall-out from the child abuse inquiry in the Dublin Archdiocese.

The country's most senior Catholic clerics are due to meet the Pope tomorrow to discuss the fall-out from the child abuse inquiry in the Dublin Archdiocese.

FORMER Bishop of Galway, the disgraced Dr Eamon Casey, returned from a 14 year exile last evening.

A parish priest in Sligo has stood aside from active duties following allegations being made against him, it emerged today.

LINKS between home, schools and parishes must be strengthened to build young people’s faith, Irish Catholic bishops said yesterday.

THE Bishop of Galway, Dr Martin Drennan, was asked on RTÉ radio if he thought Dr Eamon Casey should apologise.

A parish priest in County Galway has been asked to step aside while allegations against him are being investigated.

The Bishop of Galway Martin Drennan today called on Dr Eamonn Casey to apologise for his affair with an American divorcee before returning to the diocese.

THE former bishop of Galway Dr Eamon Casey is to return permanently to Ireland.

FORMER Bishop of Galway Dr Eamon Casey, who is facing an allegation in Ireland, was not present at the funeral of retired bishop of the diocese James McLoughlin yesterday.

Senior clergy, politicians and lay people gathered today for the funeral of the former Bishop of Galway Dr James McLoughlin.

Bishop Martin Drennan is being installed as the new Bishop of Galway at a ceremony in St Mary's Casthedral in the city this afternoon.

The Vatican has announced the appointment of the Most Reverend Martin Drennan as the new Bishop of Galway.

I HAVE read a report that the Irish Catholic bishops are taking the first steps towards drawing up a new course of study of religious education in primary schools.