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Cloyne Diocese orders parishes to consider property sales to fund abuse pay-outs

Huge compensation claims force drastic measures

CATHAL DERVAN,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Tuesday, August 30, 2011, 8:08 AM

Updated Tuesday, August 30, 2011, 9:25 AM

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St. Colman’s Cathedral, in the Diocese of Cloyne, County Cork

Photo by Google Images

The crisis-torn Diocese of Cloyne has instructed priests to draw up a list of parish property that can be easily sold.

The Cork diocese, at the centre of recent child abuse allegations, is desperate to raise funds to pay compensation.

The legal bills and pay-outs from cases involving abuse victims have left the Diocese on the brink of bankruptcy.

Parishes will also be hit with a six per cent diocesan levy on all future sales of property.

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The Irish Independent reports that parish priests throughout the ‘scandal-hit’ Diocese have been ordered to compile a list of properties suitable for sale.

The Diocese itself owns little in the way of saleable property according to the paper and will lean on parishes to sell assets.

In normal circumstances a parish is entitled to keep all proceeds from such sales but the Diocese is now demanding a six per cent levy to fund compensation payments and legal costs.

The spiraling cost of the cases outlined in the Cloyne Report is expected to cost the diocese millions of Euros.

Current Archbishop of Cloyne Dr Dermot Clifford has admitted it could be years before his diocese’s finances eventually recover from the costs of the scandal.

“There will be a lot of compensation to be paid, some has already been paid. The resources of the diocese financially will be very low and it will be a big job to rebuild the Diocese of Cloyne,” said Dr Clifford.

There are 46 parishes in the diocese where 133 priests serve the needs of some 250,000 people.
Diocesan spokesman Fr Jim Killeen told the Independent that the six per cent levy would be ‘aimed at supporting diocesan finances’.

He added: “The diocese actually owns very little property suitable for sale. That is what we will be asking parishes to contribute.

“Parishes have been reluctant to sell property since the market collapsed. It is perfectly understandable, after all, the market is pretty difficult at the moment.”

Sources have also confirmed to the paper that the Cloyne Diocese has settled five abuse cases but many more are underway.

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barneyjo | Sep 02, 2011, 03:48 AM EDT

@JuneAnnette - though our views on faith and church may differ, these are inspirational words that should be seen by as many people as possible. There are truths in your words that cannot,nor should not be ignored by anyone, be the Catholic, Protestant or dissenter. In particular, they should be read by those senior clerics who remain largely in denial about the impact of clerical abuse on a life and the cost for the victims and those that love them. It should remind them of Gods word related through Jesus regarding the maltreatment of children; "better for you to have a stone put around your neck and you be cast into the sea"

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JuneAnnette | Sep 01, 2011, 02:39 PM EDT

What the Victim of clergy abuse has had stolen from him cannot be recovered! What the victims of clergy abuse have lost can never be regained, but some are able to find closure by holding their perpetrators accountable by pursuing justice. Victims are vindicated when the church takes responsibility for their failures and when the church is held accountable. Victims are vindicated when they see their abuser prosecuted and found guilty, when they see judgment pronounced and the penalty / sentence for their heinous crimes imposed upon them by the Judge carried out. Victims of abuse are vindicated when compensatory damages are rewarded for Pain and suffering; Mental anguish, and Costs associated with therapy. Though in truth, no amount of money could ever provide "fair" compensation to a person who has been sexually abused or assaulted, obtaining financial compensation through the civil justice system does two things. Number one, it helps bring about positive change within the institutions that harbor or enable sexual predators. And number two, it provides victims with the financial resources they need to move past the abuse and start living positively in the present.***In solidarity with the VICTIMS of Roman Catholic Clergy Abuse, JuneAnnette

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JuneAnnette | Sep 01, 2011, 02:32 PM EDT

What the Victim of clergy abuse has had stolen from him cannot be recovered!***He has been robbed of the joy of childhood, so he has no pleasant memories to reflect upon; his dignity has been violated, so he suffers from chronic low self-esteem; his innocence has been stolen, so he feels guilty; his virtue has been stolen, so he feels ashamed and humiliated, and in some cases loathes himself; his body has been exploited/violated, so he feels helpless and powerless. Many victims of clergy abuse are tormented by nightmares where they revisit the abuse and this invariably deprives them of any peace of mind. Some victims of clergy abuse turn to alcohol, drugs, or other self-destructive behaviors to cope with their emotional pain; some are plagued with panic attacks; many are utterly traumatized and in desperation commit suicide. Most of these victims are now adults, but they were once innocent children whose vulnerability was exploited by trusted members of their church.Their faith has been shattered, their spirits have been crushed, and their souls destroyed by those whose solemn charge it was to guard. Their wounds are deep, their pain and sorrow intense and the emotional scars that remain are painful reminders of the horrific memories of their childhood.

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barneyjo | Aug 31, 2011, 08:41 AM EDT

@CaptainCon - You may well be right. However, I was particularly struck by these lines in particular, when placed in the context of the revelations about clerical abuse and cover-up with the RC Church; the church to which I still (just about) belong :)

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CaptainCon | Aug 31, 2011, 01:57 AM EDT

barneyjo- padre pio and his 'visions' along with the 'visions' of other religiously unhinged christian celebs are entertaining stories but that is all they are. There is a reason why faith is very much to the fore in two kinds of social institutions- churches and lunatic asylums.

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CaptainCon | Aug 31, 2011, 01:54 AM EDT

The catholic church in Ireland actually owns nothing. Everything it claims title to belongs to the Irish people and was obtained from them by fraud and deception. Take back the lot. Not one brick of 'its' property nor one foot of 'its' land was paid for by the Vatican.

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tombegs | Aug 30, 2011, 07:42 PM EDT

What about the GOLD? Doesn't the diocese own tons of gold? Could they sell that rather than the properties they own? What kind of properties would they sell? Orphanages, maybe? Food kitchens? Let's start first with the gold. Who will that hurt??

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Trealach | Aug 30, 2011, 07:22 PM EDT

@Portia - since you know factually that the church has hidden its money in off-shore accounts, then it is your legal responsibility to report that to the proper authorities so that the abused can be compensated. Not to do so makes you complicit and as guilty as those who have covered up the abuse. So off you go now and tell your fairy tales to the cops......or was this your attempt to prove yourself to be another MORON!!?

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barneyjo | Aug 30, 2011, 05:01 PM EDT

@Captaincon - not sure as to the extent of Saint Pio's share portfolio. I am however interested in his own descriptions of the Apparitions he experienced, in particular the one I quote from (below) which dates from 1913. Maybe this was a portent of all that has recently come to pass. What do you think??

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CaptainCon | Aug 30, 2011, 04:06 PM EDT

What sort of share portfolio did padre pio own? How many bank shares were there in his portfolio? Did he have a nice wine cellar paid for by his parishioners? A mercedes limousine and driver for the cardinal, the bishop, the archbishop? Note the statement by the Diocesan spokesman; 'The diocese actually owns very littel property SUITABLE FOR SALE'. In other words 'we decide what is suitable for sale.' There's a nice big house that the coward Magee and his brother are living in that diocese for a start. Or is that 'not suitable'?

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barneyjo | Aug 30, 2011, 03:53 PM EDT

"My soul goes looking for some drop of human pity, but they leave me alone under the weight of their indifference. The ingratitude and the sleep of my ministers increase the agony for me. They badly respond to my love! The greater torment for me is that these people add their contempt to their indifference and disbelief. How many times my wrath was to strike them like lightning, but I was stopped by the angels and the souls who love me....." (Saint Padre Pio - Apparitions. Written in 1913 - a long time ago)

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barneyjo | Aug 30, 2011, 03:50 PM EDT

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AngelPrecious | Aug 30, 2011, 01:25 PM EDT

Amen, Seamus!!! Cult, Portia??? Nahhh....and I pray that you come to your senses.

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IAPRINCESS | Aug 30, 2011, 01:22 PM EDT

Where will they go to continue their "work"? Hell would be good.

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Portia777 | Aug 30, 2011, 12:20 PM EDT

no doubt the "church" put its money in offshoe accounts when they got wind of claims.There is no justice and the only justice is open wallet surgery on the men of god. Money is their god, so it is just to take every penny off them. It is our money in truth anyway. Silly us contributing to such a cult.

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