Cardinal in legal battle with child abuse commission

A senior Catholic clergyman was tonight locked in a legal wrangle with a commission investigating the legacy of clerical child sexual abuse.

Lawyers representing Cardinal Desmond Connell, former Dublin Archbishop, today initiated legal proceedings in the High Court aimed at determining if certain Church documentation should remain confidential.

Dublin’s current Archbishop Diarmuid Martin expressed hope that the case, which is set to reach the courts on Monday, will not delay the work of the Commission.

Tonight the Dublin Archdiocese issued a statement following confirmation the case had opened.

The statement read: “Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has learned of the proceedings initiated this morning at the High Court on behalf of Cardinal Desmond Connell by the legal team which has from the outset represented the Cardinal in all his dealings with the Commission of Investigation.

“Since its inception, the Archdiocese has refrained from making any comment on the work of the Commission.

“That policy remains unchanged.

“Archbishop Martin hopes that the legal matters which have now arisen will be dealt with expeditiously for all concerned so that the Commission can conclude its work.”

The statement continued: “The overarching aim of all must be that of attaining a more accurate understanding of the truth concerning sexual abuse of children by clergy.”