Published Tuesday, 28 September 2010
The delegation, which includes Cardinal Sean Brady, will travel to Rome next week.
In March, Pope Benedict announced plans to send a high-powered delegation to Ireland to investigate devastating reports into the church's mishandling of allegations of sexual abuse made against priests.
Three cardinals and three archbishops, as well as a number of priests and religious sisters, will travel to the four Metropolitan Archdioceses of Ireland: Armagh, Dublin, Tuam, and Cashel & Emily. They will then report back directly to the Pope.
The church says the purpose of the trip to Ireland, known as an "apostolic visitation," is to "offer assistance and to contribute to the spiritual and moral renewal of the Church in Ireland."
The visitation will "facilitate reflection, evaluation and review of Church life".
Cardinal Brady will be joined by Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Cashel and Emly Dermot Clifford, and Archbishop of Tuam Michael Neary next week.
The group are expected to meet the apostolic visitors and the relevant Vatican congregations to finalise details of the visitation and how it will be co-ordinated.
It is expected that the visitation will then take place soon afterwards.