By Mairead Carey

A second major inquiry into clerical sexual abuse was launched by the Irish government on Tuesday.

Circuit Court judge Yvonne Murphy will chair a Commission of Investigation into the abuse of children by Dublin priests and religious.

The inquiry falls short of what was conducted in the Ferns diocese. Every case will not be investigated. Instead the commission will examine a sample of abuse allegations between 1975 and 2004 and the church’s handling of those cases.

The cases will be selected on the grounds that “strong and clear suspicion” existed at the time that Dublin clergy had been involved in child sex abuse.

The commission will then investigate “the nature of the response to those sample complaints or allegations on the part of the authorities to which those sample complaints or allegations were reported.”

The terms of reference which were agreed by the Cabinet also allow the commission to investigate whether there is evidence that clerics of any rank sought to block the proper investigation of the allegations when first made.

The government has ruled out separate commissions of inquiry for other dioceses in Ireland. But the commission investigating Dublin will have the power to investigate other Catholic dioceses where there is evidence that church guidelines in sex abuse cases are not being followed.

If a diocese is found to have breached the rules, agreed by the church almost a decade ago, then it will face further investigation.

The decision to launch a second inquiry comes just weeks after the publication of a shocking report into clerical child sex abuse in the Ferns diocese.

Since the report was published, two weeks ago, organizations helping victims of sexual abuse have reported a huge increase in the number of people seeking their help.

One in Four, whose founder Colm O’Gorman was abused by Father Sean Fortune from the Ferns diocese, says it has been inundated with requests for its services since the publication of the report.

More than 250 new clients have contacted the organization in the last week alone. The charity’s website has seen more than 100 new registered users, and website hits have increased by up to 400%, according to the organization.

O’Gorman has said that the organization will do everything it can to try and help those who have contacted One in Four in recent weeks.

“It is vital that every person who has picked up a phone to break silence and seek support be met with a response that is professional, compassionate and timely,” he said.

But he said that the unprecedented demand is proving difficult for the organization, and the charity has had to refer some callers on to other services.

The commission investigating allegations of abuse in Dublin will take some 18 months to complete its work. Its findings will then be published.