The director of the One in Four support group for people who have suffered sexual abuse, Mr Colm O'Gorman, is to meet the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, this afternoon.
Mr O'Gorman, who was abused by Father Seán Fortune in Ferns diocese, will be accompanied to the meeting by Mr Andrew Madden, who was abused by Father Ivan Payne in the Dublin archdiocese.
Both Mr O'Gorman and Mr Madden will be meeting other victims of clerical child sex abuse this morning prior to their meeting with the Minister. Mr O'Gorman said last night they would not be "demanding anything" of the Minister, but did want to see a criminal inquiry into the handling of clerical child sex abuse complaints in the Dublin archdiocese.
They also hoped to discuss what might be the appropriate way forward for any State inquiry into the handling of allegations of clerical child sex abuse in Ireland by the Catholic Church.
Of particular concern would be the "avoidance of a situation where we could find ourselves back here again in six months" should there be further revelations from another Irish diocese.
Today's meeting follows RTÉ's Prime Time programme last Thursday which dealt with how the cases of eight priests accused of child sex abuse were handled by Church authorities in Dublin. The programme prompted an unprecedented level of contact with One In Four from people in Ireland. The group is based in London but intends to open offices in Ireland soon.
The meeting with Mr McDowell will be followed by a press conference with Mr O'Gorman and Mr Madden this afternoon.
In a statement last night, One in Four welcomed the Government decision to set up an non-statutory inquiry into the handling of clerical child sex abuse complaints in Ferns diocese.
However, Mr O'Gorman said that "subject to a satisfactory outcome to our ongoing discussions with the Minister for Health on the terms of reference for such a non-statutory inquiry, we welcome the decision by the Government to press ahead with an inquiry into child sexual abuse in the Ferns diocese.
"In light of the Government's decision that this inquiry will be non-statutory, we will be pressing Minister Martin for a commitment that the terms of reference will include a mechanism to vest further, statutory powers in the Ferns Inquiry if there is not full co-operation from all relevant parties".
The Government decision followed an investigation by Mr George Birmingham SC into what would be the most appropriate inquiry. He was appointed to do so last April by the Minister for Health after he met victims of Father Seán Fortune at a meeting in Kilkenny.
That followed a BBC television programme entitled Suing the Pope.
