Archbishop Martin: Country-wide inquiry may be only way forward

The Archbishop of Dublin says he believes extending the Murphy Commission to examine every diocese in Ireland may be the only way to expose the full truth about clerical child sex abuse.

Diarmuid Martin said that people wanted the entire truth to come out on the abuse scandals which have rocked the Church.

He said funding a country-wide probe may not be the best way to spend money intended to improve child protection, but "it may be the only way" to expose the full extent and detail of the abuse and how it was handled by the Church.

However the Archbishop did not call for Cardinal Sean Brady to step down, saying resignations in this context were personal decisions.

The Primate of All-Ireland has been under intense pressure to resign over his role in 1975 investigations in which victims of paedophile priest Brendan Smyth were asked to swear an oath of secrecy.

Speaking in Washington last night, the Taoiseach Brian Cowen said a person's occupation is not relevant when an issue arises where the law must get involved.

Meanwhile, the North's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness described the situation as "very disturbing" and called on Cardinal Sean Brady to consider his position.