A "Transparent and open" inquiry into the handling of sex abuse cases by the diocese of Ferns was sought by victims of Father Sean Fortune in a meeting last night with the Minister for Health, Mr Martin.
Three of those abused by Fortune, Mr Colm O'Gorman, Mr Pat Jackman and Mr Donnacha McGloinn, attended the meeting with Mr Martin and senior Department of Health officials in Kilkenny.
Mr Jim and Mrs Josie Gahan, whose daughter, Fiona, was one of a number of girls abused by another priest, Father Jim Grennan, in Monageer in 1988, also attended the meeting to press the case for an inquiry.
Mr O'Gorman said he did not see the meeting as being about whether an inquiry should be held. "I think this meeting is so that we can decide the terms and the scope of that inquiry, what exactly needs to be put in place and what needs to be looked at," he said.
Speaking immediately before the meeting, he said the inquiry should have a number of key objectives. It had to discover facts and then publish "a full, public, transparent report". It must also, he said, make a series of recommendations about how similar abuse cases could be prevented in the future.
"Also, I think this is crucial, if the chairperson of this inquiry believes that criminal offences have been committed, then the relevant files must be passed on to the Director of Public Prosecutions."
He said he hoped "the pain, the agony and the expense" of a full tribunal could be avoided. But they needed a very clear commitment from the Minister that if there was not full co-operation from all the relevant agencies, including the church, the inquiry would be given powers to compel witnesses to give evidence.
The only way forward for the church, he believed, was for it to adopt a "frank, honest, open approach" to the inquiry and not require anybody to force them to come in and say what they knew about the rape and sexual abuse of children.
He was depressed at the response to the issue to date by Cardinal Connell and senior church figures. "They are now beyond outrageous. We're at the point where I'm incapable of understanding why they are taking the position they are taking," he said.
Mr Martin told RTÉ before the meeting he wanted to see the truth emerge and closure to the issue. He would like to see an inquiry, "but let's get the format right".
