Hundreds of crimes were not reported while police treated clergy as above the law, investigators said.

The report examined the handling of only a 'representative sample' of allegations of child abuse by 320 children against 46 priests in Dublin between 1975 and 2004.

Fear of the public anger that would have followed high-profile prosecutions of priests was seen as more important than preventing the sex offenders from repeating their crimes, it concluded.

Instead of reporting the allegations, Church leaders shifted the accused from parish to parish, allowing them to prey on new victims.

The report, by the Commission of Investigation, said: 'The Dublin archdiocese's preoccupations in dealing with cases of child sexual abuse, at least until the mid 1990s, were the maintenance of secrecy, the avoidance of scandal, the protection of the reputation of the Church, and the preservation of its assets.'

The archdiocese 'did its best to avoid any application of the law of the state', it added.

Cardinal Desmond Connell, who held office as Archbishop from 1988 to April 2004, “was slow to recognise the seriousness of the situation” on assuming office. He was “over-reliant” on the advice of other people. While “clearly appalled by the abuse” it took him some time “to realize that it could not be dealt with by keeping it secret and protecting priests from normal civil processes.”