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Cork diocese in new collection to pay abuse costs

CATHAL DERVAN,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Sunday, October 16, 2011, 8:20 AM

Updated Sunday, October 16, 2011, 8:20 AM

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19 Comments

Church is asking parishioners to help pay costs resulting from abuse cases.

An Irish diocese has gone directly to parishioners and asked them to help solve the financial crisis caused by the spiraling cost of sex abuse cases.

Parish priests in the Cork and Ross diocese have introduced two new quarterly collections to meet a near $500,000 deficit in finances.

The new collection was forced on parishes by the diocesan hierarchy to ensure pastoral duties can continue while this extra revenue stream will not fund child abuse cases directly.

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Like the neighboring Cloyne diocese, the Cork and Ross diocesan leaders have been forced to find extra funds after a drain on resources to pay survivors of clerical sex abuse.

Diocesan leader Bishop John Buckley said: “Two collections would be needed every three months from now on, to ensure the diocese had enough funds to carry out its day-to-day duties.”

He stressed that the extra funds would not be "used to compensate abuse victims."

Monies raised would, however, be "used to help fund child-protection training across the parishes.:

Appealing to parishioners to help the diocese meet its financial losses, Bishop Buckley added: “I know that many families and parishes are feeling the pressure of these times.

“In introducing this collection, I am very mindful of that context and I assure you that costs are being kept to a minimum.

“However, best practice and current realities dictate that we must focus on areas of need without losing sight of the pastoral and evangelical mission of the local church.”

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19 Comments

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stephen1553 | Dec 20, 2011, 06:55 PM EST

the only thing that I would give the church is the collection of indigestible food and bacteria that I flush away every day or so. Thinking of my best friend who has taken over a year since he realized he too was raped, to slowly come out of the closet and tell his story. It has messed up his life, he has been suicidal at times etc.

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thesavageirish | Oct 26, 2011, 12:24 PM EDT

The Audacity of Pope.

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stanJames | Oct 20, 2011, 12:29 AM EDT

"quote The Catholic Church forgives and forgets child abuse, they forgive the priest and forget the victim. End Quote Worse then this. They moved so many priests from place to place they ran out of places to hide some priests, who continued to molest and molest

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stanJames | Oct 20, 2011, 12:27 AM EDT

lets remember that money is fungible - meaning that money can be taken for one cause while other money is taken from that cause snd used for something else. the only solution - bankrupt the whole rotten stinking church. There alsso is a move to have the international criminal court try Benedict. But scholars doubt anything will happen for various reasons including the statue of limitations. Here in the USA Chruch lawwyers have opposed extension of the statue of limitations, often successfully. what we need is a way to break down the many many separate corporations that the church operates. So that any funds from any part of the church can be taken to pay off victims no matter where they are. The church is just as guilty as the big corporations where its almost impossilbe to figure out who owns what. Break that game and we'll all be better off in many ways

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merefalow | Oct 17, 2011, 05:22 PM EDT

unbelievable considering the wealth of the church.if THEY HAD ACTED IN A CORRECT MANNER REGOGNISING THE EVIL OF THESE B....... THEY WOULDNT BE IN THIS POSITION.BUT NO,THOUGH THE AGES THEY HAVE CONDONED HIDED MOVED THE THE PROBLEM ON,ANYTHING EXCEPT REGOGNISE IT, THERE SHOULD BE NO HIDING PLACE AND NO POSITION WITHIN THE CHURCH FOR SUCH AS THESE.

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Collette2 | Oct 16, 2011, 10:51 PM EDT

What a damned gaul, I think here was a similiar article sometime back. A comment from Trealach is nowhere to be found, no doubt in full agreeance but afraid he may put his foot in it.

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briancherrie | Oct 16, 2011, 08:39 PM EDT

The Catholic Church forgives and forgets child abuse, they forgive the priest and forget the victim.

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barneyjo | Oct 16, 2011, 05:50 PM EDT

It is up to the laity in the Diocese to let the Bishop and their Clergy know how strongly they feel about all that has happened. I would be the last one to tell anyone what to do; I know what I would do. If christ is truly with his church through this (as I believe) then this will play out in they way it was intended to do. If either the laity or clergy are unhappy with having this burden foisted upon them ANYWHERE, then they are bound to express that.

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eiriamach | Oct 16, 2011, 03:36 PM EDT

This is an opportunity for the laity to negotiate conditions for the bishop's "bailout." It's surely time for reform-minded Catholics to get some reforms put in place in the diocese and in their parishes. But just to pour money in with no assurance that there will not be new sexual abuse cases and more settlements seems to me to set a very dangerous precedent!

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jacersagain | Oct 16, 2011, 03:07 PM EDT

Something puzzles me about this report... it says the collections to be made every three months will be for covering day-to-day diocesan duties. Can I deduce from that then that all the other weekly collections, except for the annual Peter’s Pence collection for the Vatican’s running expenses, will be or are already being used to compensate victims of abuse? Then, if that’s the case, one would have to ask: what were all the usual weekly collections of all previous years used for if it takes only four collections a year to cover day-to-day running expenses? Or one could ask just how much are victims compensation schemes costing and how are the victims spending that money to recover from their horrors? Oh, I see Brolaur's comment below. How the victims spend their money is NONE OF MY BUSINESS. Yet, we are being asked to pay for it?

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Brolaur | Oct 16, 2011, 02:55 PM EDT

This is a private matter between The Church and its parishiners. I assume that those making comments are neither members of that community or indeed believers. This matter is NONE of THEIR BUSINESS.

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Searlit | Oct 16, 2011, 02:13 PM EDT

It's like they're living in another universe, on the planet of Denial, they're so out of touch!

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hybernia | Oct 16, 2011, 01:52 PM EDT

They have a neck like a jockey's Bo%%%x

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canadianirish | Oct 16, 2011, 01:25 PM EDT

I agree with SNAPspaner. There are bankers who put the value of Vatican Inc. at $12-$15 Billion. Let the Cork and Ross dioceses contact Rome for a bailout. I wouldn't put one cent on that collection plate!

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Nicomax | Oct 16, 2011, 12:34 PM EDT

Which organization came up with this approach first? The Cork Diocese or Pacific Gas & Electric in Northern Calif., which also finds repeated ways to bilk their customers for their deadly mistakes?

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