Thirty priests in the Dublin archdiocese have had child sex-abuse allegations made against them, a spokeswoman has confirmed to The Irish Times.
Nineteen are "out of ministry" because of such allegations, with six formally out of the priesthood, either through laicisation or dismissal.
One priest is out of the priesthood "informally", and one is facing criminal charges.
In addition to the 27 priests against whom allegations had been made prior to the Prime Time "Cardinal Secrets" programme last October, three more are currently "standing aside" because of allegations of child sexual abuse made against them since.
Meanwhile, the archdiocese is currently recruiting a director for its child protection service. It expects to make an appointment by the middle of next month.
From the end of July it will be implementing the interim child protection policy, "Working With Children and Young People in the Church Community in Ireland", when it is circulated by the bishops' national child protection office in Maynooth.
It is intended that the guidelines will be circulated to every Catholic diocese by the end of July. The policy will remain "interim" pending recommendations from the newly appointed working group on child protection policy for the Catholic Church in Ireland, expected next February.
The diocese of Ferns has already introduced its own interim guidelines. These are based on Department of Health and Children documents which advise on appropriate behaviour for professionals when dealing with children and young people. Documents on the subject, published by dioceses in England and Wales, were also consulted.
