The Irish Prime Minister has called on Cardinal Sean Brady to “reflect” on the BBC documentary on Fr Brendan Smyth, which claims that Brady was aware of the sexual abuse suffered by victims.

Speaking to reporters in Dublin on Wednesday afternoon, Enda Kenny called on Cardinal Brady to ‘reflect on the outcome of the program’.

On Wednesday, the Cardinal issued a statement saying he felt betrayed that those who had authority in the church failed to act on the evidence he gave them. He said he was simply a note taker during the 1975 investigation.   “I had absolutely no authority over Brendan Smyth. Even my Bishop had limited authority over him,” Brady said in an official statement.

“Any suggestion that I was other than a ‘notary’ in the process of recording evidence from Mr Boland, is false and misleading,” he said.

The investigative TV program claimed that information was given to a team of clerics, including the Cardinal in 1975, about other children who were abused by Fr Smyth in 1975.

Read Cardinal Brady’s full statement here:

Watch the Irish Times report on Cardinal Seán Brady’s response below: