The wide-ranging inquiry, which will begin in the autumn, will be headed by two cardinals and three archbishops from England, the United States and Canada.
The Vatican on Monday named prominent Churchmen to lead its official inquiry into sexual abuse of children by clergy in predominantly Roman Catholic Ireland.
The wide-ranging inquiry, which will begin in the autumn, will be headed by two cardinals and three archbishops from England, the United States and Canada.
Pope Benedict announced the inquiry, formally known as an "apostolic visitation," last March in a letter to the Irish people about the sexual abuse scandal in their country, which has led to the resignation of three Irish bishops.
A Vatican statement said the investigation will begin in four dioceses -- Armagh, Dublin, Cashel-Emly, and Tuam -- and then be extended to other dioceses.
It said the Vatican wanted "to respond adequately to the situation caused by the tragic cases of abuse perpetrated by priests" and help lead to "spiritual and moral renewal" in the Irish Church.
The prominence of the leaders of the inquiry -- which will involve visits to churches, seminaries and convents and the questioning of hundreds of people -- underscored the importance the pope attaches to the investigation and its results.
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Conner, emeritus archbishop of Westminster, will lead the investigation of Armagh and Cardinal Sean Patrick O'Malley of Boston will lead the inquiry into Dublin.
Toronto Archbishop Thomas Christopher Collins will look into Cashel-Emly and Ottawa Archbishop Thomas Prendergast was assigned Tuam.
Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, one of the most prominent Church figures, will lead an investigation into Irish seminaries, including the Pontifical Irish College in Rome.
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