Priests from all over Cork were due to meet today to air their views on the findings of the Cloyne Report.
Bishop John Magee and Monsignor Denis O’Callaghan were both heavily criticised in the report for their handling of child abuse claims.
The Vatican was also accused of being “entirely unhelpful” to Irish bishops in their attempts to put proper child safeguarding procedures in place.
The meeting has been organised by the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP), an organisation set up to provide a voice for members of the clergy and give them an opportunity to have their say on issues.
More than 20 priests from the Diocese of Cork and Ross, and the Diocese of Cloyne were expected to attend the meeting at Ovens Parish Centre.
The meeting has been set up so priests can “talk out their reactions to the Cloyne report and what has followed it”.
Among those to react angrily to the findings of the Cloyne Report was Fr Joseph McGuane, chaplain at St Raphael’s Centre, Youghal, which is in the Diocese of Cloyne.
He called on his fellow priests to challenge “the culture of cover-up and dictatorship” within the diocese.
Today’s meeting is also open to priests who are not members of the ACP. As well as providing a means for priests to debate issues, the organisation also supports:
* A culture in which the local bishop and the priests relate to each other in a spirit of trust and support.
* A re-evaluation of Catholic sexual teaching and practice.
* Recognition that Church and State are separate. While the Church must preach the Gospel, the State has the task of enacting laws for citizens.