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Irish Minister will call bailiffs on Church to force compensation payment to abuse survivors

Minister for Education puts pressure on religious orders

CATHY HAYES,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Thursday, July 7, 2011, 7:42 AM

Updated Thursday, July 7, 2011, 7:42 AM

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Minister for Education puts pressure on religious orders

Religious orders in Ireland have been told to pay an additional €200 million ($286.58 million) towards compensation costs for victims of child abuse or else sign over religious run schools to the government.

The overall compensation bill for victims of abuse amounts to €1.3 billion ($1.86 billion) according to the Irish Examiner.

The Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn has said he is disappointed with their contribution so far.

So far religious orders have offered land and cash with a combined value of €348 million ($498 million) on top of the €128 million ($183 million) they paid in 2002 as a result if an indemnity bill.

The orders have committed to giving another €100 million ($143 million) in cash but only €20.6 million ($20.6 million) has been handed over so far.

The Minister warned that if the congregations could not produce the cash for the shortfall, they should sign over legal ownership to school buildings to the state.

"There is a very big gap between the €680 million ($974 million) which would be their fair share and what is on the table at the present time," he said.

The Irish Examiner revealed that a total of 18 orders named in the damning Ryan Report on clerical child abuse have benefited from property deals worth €667 million ($956 million) between 1999 and 2009.

The Minister questioned why the financial profits from the land sales were not available to go towards the remaining balance.
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Read more:

Church abuse scandal not cause by celibacy says study

Irish Christian Brothers convinced abuse crisis will destroy them

Cork report into clerical child abuse within the Church will be published
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9 Comments

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barneyjo | Jul 11, 2011, 05:54 AM EDT

I personally stopped making contributions to the church when I learned that the Bishop of my own Diocese, Seamus Hegarty had been caught red handed stealing money from his own priests and parishoners to meet the commitment of Derry Diocese to the Irish Bishops Stewardship fund. When faced with a revolt from his own priests and parish councils, he was forced to return the money. I would now take the view that the Catholic church in in Ireland needs to step down to "actual" poverty as a means of expunging the "spiritual" poverty with which it is currently afflicted!!

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Collette2 | Jul 07, 2011, 09:31 PM EDT

I hope your not right, with eyes like that I wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of him. He just may have his sights on the church. IrishCentral will certainly have their eyes on him.

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Trealach | Jul 07, 2011, 04:38 PM EDT

This has absolutely nothing to do with compensating the victims. This is merely the act of a Communist in Government solely interested in acquiring schools Free of Charge. He has no intention of compensating the victims.

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LilPaddy | Jul 07, 2011, 04:17 PM EDT

Follow up to the comment below... That moral bankruptcy (love of money and to Hell with the truth) is also part of Nial O'Dowd's makeup.... I gave him a story as to who the sexual molesters were in Daingean.... Just why would he not put it on I.C.? Just didn't fit his agenda (as in ALL Brothers, Priest's and Nun's are physical abusers or pedophiles) Just not so... The 20to1 sexual assults in Daingean were by bully "resident's" on smaller weaker ones

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LilPaddy | Jul 07, 2011, 03:54 PM EDT

Wether "the church" money is passed to "the government" or not? "The victims" won't see very much of it..... This I know from my own experience as one of them. I was nearly killed by a Brother in Daingean 1960. With the result requiring surgeries here in the U.S..... The Redress board would not even pay for my medical outlay nor the travel cost of 4 trips to them....(with the last one being in Jan.11... Does anyone think for one minute that the others who are still seeking redress, will fare any better? Money in the churches hands, the governments hands or the law firms hands.. please, someone explain the moral bankruptcy difference between any of them... That is where the money will stay!!!

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Towngate | Jul 07, 2011, 01:03 PM EDT

I never thought I'd think that Henry VIII was right! What he achieved should be done again now with the added refinement of having all those despicable 'clergy' and their deluded sheepish followers herded inside before collapsing every church down on top of them. That would do for a start .....

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Searlit | Jul 07, 2011, 12:44 PM EDT

It's a serious problem, alright. The Church and the government were both to blame for letting the abuse continue by covering it up, until now. I think setting up a fund is right, too. However, the government does have the right to claim the amount promised by the Church, first.

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cillowen | Jul 07, 2011, 10:48 AM EDT

the churchgoers pay time after time - how christian is that.

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Carroll09 | Jul 07, 2011, 10:08 AM EDT

However, Mr Quinn evidently sees no problem with the fact that the millions already contributed by religious orders are just sitting in the Irish Central Bank, earning interest for the government, yet abuse victims cannot access this compensation. The delay by the current and past government to set up a fund which actually ensures that money goes to abuse victims has meant that the value of the original 476 million euro deal agreed by the religious orders has fallen by up to 100 million euro (due to falling property prices). Unless and until the government sets up a proper transfer fund, I wouldn't be in favour of handing over more money because there would be no guarantee that it would be going directly to those who need it most, the abuse victims - it would only end up where the money contributed thus far has ended up: comfortably in the government's coffers in the ICB.

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