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Irish Catholic nuns offer compensation for Church child sex abuse

KENNETH HAYNES,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Thursday, December 3, 2009, 4:20 PM

Updated Thursday, December 3, 2009, 5:04 PM

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The Sisters of Mercy Order in Dublin have offered $193 m in money and property in damages to those who were abused by nuns in the order.

Complete coverage / The Irish Catholic Church child abuse scandal / Click here

The Sisters of Mercy in Dublin have offered $193 million in money and property to those who were abused by nuns in their order.

The religious order made the announcement Thursday, saying the amount was “reparation for the suffering of children while in residential institutions within Mercy care."

The Sisters of Mercy ran five schools for girls in Dublin, and physical assaults and humiliation were a regular occurrence. One of the Order’s institutions at Goldenbridge was notorious for the level of abuse carried out under its roof.

The Order released a statement outlining the reason behind their giving the large amount of money.

"It is the sincere hope and desire of the congregation that this contribution will help toward the enhancement of the lives of former residents," the statement read.

The abuses carried out by the Sisters of Mercy were listed in the recent Ryan Report, which shed light on the systematic abuse that was carried out in Church-run institutions from the 1930s up to the early 1990s.

In the report, Justice Sean Ryan commented that the severity of abuse at Goldenbridge created a "pervasive climate of fear."

In late November, another religious order in Ireland, the Christian Brothers, announced they would pay $242 million in restitution for child sex abuse that happened in their schools and institutions.

The Ryan Report’s shocking findings not only revealed the abhorrent level of child abuse rampant in Church-run institutions, but also uncovered the lengths to which some members of the Catholic Church went to cover up the atrocities.

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Penso10 | Dec 07, 2009, 07:24 PM EST

addendum: Recently the parish priest here "Hit on Me" Thinking that I was "Gay" (which I am not) he has been moved form the parish here. Now I wonder if he is a pedophile?? Is that the reason they moved him. The church has been known to do this in the past trying to protect their mentally sick ones. Fred Greene-USA

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Penso10 | Dec 07, 2009, 07:19 PM EST

It's kind of late for this isn't it? When St. Augustus changed the laws(rules) for the Catholic religion he did a disastrous job,ie:Restricting the priests and nuns from any sexual endevours whatsoever. This led to pedophilia and sadism. My best friend(who attended a Catholic school) received "Yard stick" beatings also. He left the school. My aunt also had her tongue stuck to a (hot) radiator while in a girls school(reformatory). I totally agree with Irishathens=They should be publicy named,shamed and jailed. Fred Greene-USA

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kickstar | Dec 06, 2009, 12:05 AM EST

The sad thing is... People will return to this Godless Sinful and totally discredited church of evil, Do you really think the God of the Ages The God of Moses and the Disciples really Would live in such an organization.?

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borefield | Dec 05, 2009, 06:45 PM EST

I guess there is some redemption in trying to make amends for wrongs committed. I guess the people bringing the lawsuites want restitution for the acts committed by the sisters. Perhaps in some way it may ease some of their nightmares and pain. I still feel bad that the entire order is painted with the same brush. I was educated by the Irish Sisters of Mercy. They were wonderful compassionate women. I feel equally for any child wronged by the wayward sisters.

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irishathens | Dec 05, 2009, 05:19 AM EST

Offering money...thats degrading their victims further..We used you, abused you BUT we will offer money...These victims are not prostitutes that sold a service..they don't want your 'dirty' money...They want you publically named, shamed and jailed

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Ernesider | Dec 04, 2009, 01:57 PM EST

... agreed there was horrible and inexcusable abuse inflicted on our most vulnerable . This will never be allowed to happen again as the Irish people are no longer uneducated and naive. We need, however, to reform our Gardai Siochanna as they played a great role in allowing this occur. Many of us owe much to the decent lay orders who brought opportunity for second level education to the remote and neglected corners of Ireland. As one who lived a very innocent life as a child I just can not fathom the torture those denied their childhood must endure daily. Hopefully they can find the strength to accept that what happened was grievously wrong but not of their doings and try and forgive those deranged monsters who ruined their lives. Then the healing can begin. But there are very pious and committed religious so don't throw the baby out with the dirty water.

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JosephDuvernay | Dec 04, 2009, 01:05 PM EST

Under that tutelage: many calm, trusting hours. Life, young, saw orchestral shown, and that was enough. Now though dear friends, miff and back up, all that ease and spirit grace unmasks its seedy, raven face. Gimmick-thick drapes withdraw, a twice millenium's pilfery sullies; a pittance sworn, an offer placed. Your mate here saw chance to loud wonder at: the 'hoard', the reveal, the constant peals of prurient laughter assumed to pray the case of tithes laid-up not for those harmed now, but some future beggars that never shall. Please then dear heaven wash our face and hands. Out --> our dark-human cast. At your arched entry make us bright as. May our strains stand us well our difficult, to get it right, to keep the fight - tyranny bye, bye! And loosen hands here that clutch soo tight.

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kickstar | Dec 04, 2009, 09:35 AM EST

Both the so called Christian Brothers and the Nuns should be stripped of their Entire Assets then forced out of business and banned as child abusers .

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CelticPope | Dec 04, 2009, 06:38 AM EST

I am appalled. Have they learned nothing? The only honourable thing to do is to assign all they have to these victims and quietly assign themselves to history and disappear. How many have they injured in the name of Christ that we do NOT know about?

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adfloatj23 | Dec 04, 2009, 04:33 AM EST

Wow!!that much, Whom do they think they are fooling that`s about 1 years interest on the moneys they have hoarded away, Who set this amount anyway, This is just lip service for the damage they have done, I think that a full accounting of both their entire holdings both liquid and fixed assets should be found and then set the amount both the christian brothers and the bloody nuns should pay, Not this bullshit excuse amount

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