Dublin ? The Roman Catholic Church in Ireland, rocked for a decade by sex scandals, on Wednesday made its biggest admission yet: 102 of its Dublin priests past and present, or 3.6 percent of the total, are suspected of abusing children.

The disclosure comes a week before the government convenes a probe into how church and state authorities conspired, by negligence and design, to cover up decades of child abuse within the Dublin priesthood.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, a Vatican diplomat, was assigned to Dublin in 2003 to address the problem in Ireland’s largest Catholic congregation. Since his appointment, the archdiocese – home to more than 1 million Catholics – has been going over the personnel records of more than 2,800 priests who have worked in Dublin since 1940.

The conclusion: 102 are suspected of abusing children, 32 have been sued, and eight have been convicted of criminal offenses.

The archdiocese already has paid $7 million, including $2 million in both sides’ legal bills. Martin says the archdiocese probably must begin selling property to meet looming bills for 40 unresolved lawsuits and potential claims from hundreds more.