The Catholic Primate of All-Ireland, Archbishop Seán Brady, has said the Church will publish its new guidelines on child protection before Christmas.
The Archbishop and a delegation of bishops briefed the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Brian Lenihan, on the guidelines this morning.
Dr Brady said the Church was actively seeking a chairperson to oversee the implementation of its new child protection policy.
He added that Church authorities in Ireland were also seeking approval from Rome for some sections of the guidelines, but he added that this was not an impeding factor to their implementation.
The new guidelines follow the publication of the Ferns Inquiry report into allegations of child clerical abuse within the Catholic Church. The report was published in October.
