Irish Taoiseach Brian Cowen said it was shocking and disturbing that three decades of horrific child abuse was hidden by the Catholic hierarchy in Dublin.
Mr Cowen said the Murphy report was a crushing verdict that the good name and standing of the Church as an institution was placed above the basic safety of children.
"Where this was facilitated by servants of the State, it was a betrayal of trust and a complete abandoning of duty," he added.
"It is a savage irony that a policy of cover-up that may have been borne of a misguided effort to avoid scandal has shaken the faith and confidence of many people."
The report on child sex abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese revealed hundreds of allegations were kept hidden by senior churchmen who were obsessed with secrecy and upholding the reputation of the Church and its assets.
It found the primary loyalty of bishops and archbishops, who moved abusive priests from parish to parish, was to the Church.
It also criticised the role of senior gardai, many who felt clergy were outside their remit.
Survivors of abuse, opposition politicians and some clergy have called for clerics and lay people named and shamed in the report for shielding paedophile priests to resign and brought to justice.
Mr Cowen said: "As to the implications for other individuals of the Report's findings, I believe that just as there must be no ambiguity about the fact that all institutions and individuals are answerable to the law of the land, whatever their status, it is for those institutions and their members to determine the appropriateness of any individual to hold ecclesiastical office."
He also urged anyone with information about any abuse of children, whenever and wherever committed, to report it to gardai.
He said it was the Government's priority to ensure it secures the highest possible standards of child protection, within the Church and elsewhere, and that perpetrators of abuse are brought to justice.
"Our priority is to ensure that measures to secure the safety of children are in place and are being implemented effectively," he added.
Mr Cowen said the Government will be considering a report by Children's Minister Barry Andrews on the audit of Diocesan practice being conducted by the Health Service Executive.
© Press Association