Fr Brian D’Arcy has said that he hopes to see the Pope take some action following his visit to Ireland. Fr D’Arcy, who was a concelebrant at a Mass led by Pope Francis in the Phoenix Park, believes that the Pope was “deeply moved” by the meeting he had with survivors of abuse the night before that mass.

Speaking on the specific issue of mothers who were told by clergy that it would be a “mortal sin” to look for their adopted babies, Fr D’Arcy stated that the Pope was “horrified as a pastor and priest.”

“I think and I hope that he will be directing through this papal nuncio that some things should happen as a result of it,” Fr D’Arcy stated.

Pope Francis diverted from the pre-planned script prior to the beginning of the mass in the Phoenix Park to read from hand written notes, and according to Fr D’Arcy this was a big departure, and believes that his meeting with survivors the catalyst for it.

“I think he was saying: I am not worthy, and we are not worthy to offer the eucharist until we have made friends with those we have hurt,” Fr D’Arcy said before adding:

“I think he wanted to say, using his own version, that we as a nation should be absolutely sorry for, ask forgiveness for and await forgiveness for the evils that we have committed to the abused, in many senses.”

Fr D’Arcy believes the Pope chose Dublin for the “World Meeting of Families” because he wanted to “face” certain “issues” and that his choice was unpopular with some in the church.

“The World Meeting of Families was given to Dublin, the Pope himself picked Dublin. My information was that not everyone in the hierarchy was particularly pleased with that because it would unleash the types of discussion that we have had. The Pope knew that. And I said he would have to approach this and face the issue of the various forms of abuse.”

During the Pope’s visit victims of clerical sexual abuse called on the Pope to deliver a plan of action to tackle child abuse scandals.

During his two-day visit to Ireland, Pope Francis begged forgiveness for the crimes of the Church.

But campaigners urged him to take that one step further and take concrete action to solve the issue.

Members of two global groups aimed at holding the Catholic church to account gathered outside a former Magdalene Laundry on Dublin's Sean McDermott Street on Monday to give their reaction to the pontiff's trip to Ireland.

Mark Vincent Healy was one of the Irish abuse victims who met Pope Francis during his visit.

Mr Healy said he presented the Pope with the "harrowing statistics" of what it is like to be a survivor and how it affects people, not only mentally but economically throughout their lives.

"I thought he was the most extraordinary, ordinary man," Mr Healy said.

The Dubliner, who was abused by two priests as a child, has been fighting for justice for victims for years.

"This issue is a global issue and the only way to tackle this, from a survivor point of view, is with a global response," he said.

Mr Healy added that he had hoped the pontiff would use the trip as an opportunity to unveil measures aimed at combating the problem, but he had not done so.

"This Pope has actually done nothing," he said.

"He has not effectively delivered any action," he said.