Society has been shocked at what happened to children in care 40 years ago but tolerates children sleeping on the streets, says Father Peter McVerry.
The Jesuit priest, who has campaigned for decades for an end to youth homelessness, has called for the appointment of one person with the responsibility and resources to resolve the problem in Dublin.
Writing in A Book of Letters, published by the Lillie Road Centre Group of Homes, which is holding a conference in Jurys Hotel, Dublin, tonight, Father McVerry writes: "Even today, at the time of writing, an employee of the State - the overnight social worker - tells children, almost on a nightly basis, that there are no beds available and they will have to sleep on the street.
"The hypocrisy of our society is revealed by the fact that we continue to neglect homeless children on a daily basis while we profess shock and horror at the revelations of a documentary that highlights the neglect of children 30 and 40 years ago."
Politicians will have to develop the will to solve the problem and one person will have to be appointed to do the job, he writes.
Tonight's conference, "The Marginalised Child" will hear a paper from the President, Mrs McAleese. It will be opened by Mr Justice Declan Costello and chaired by Prof Anthony Clare.