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Uproar as Catholic Church asks parishioners to pay for sex abuse claims

DONAL THORNTON

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Wednesday, March 3, 2010, 7:39 AM

Updated Wednesday, March 3, 2010, 11:21 AM

Bishop Denis Brennan

An American in Ireland blog / Irish C atholics must pay for Irish Church's sins / Click here

The Bishop of Ferns, Denis Brennan, has asked the parishioners of County Wexford to help pay the costs of compensating victims of clerical sex abuse.

The general public firmly believes that the Catholic Church should sell their assets to help pay the compensation and legal costs.

“It is absolutely disgusting, an insult to the people and an insult to the Catholic Church. All the money they have and the buildings they own, Rome is the place that should pay or it," said parishioner Peggy Kenny.

One unnamed parishioner said that she may give "a few extra bob" in the collections, but said the Vatican should pay the shortfall and should stop "rubbing people's noses in it."

In the church’s defense, a Eucharistic minister at St Aidan's Cathedral said, "I would give as there is no point looking back, we need to look forward.”

Eilish Dempsey said that she has become disillusioned with the Catholic Church since the revelations of clerical abuse in the Ferns diocese.

"The cheek of them. I am very surprised as the bishop is very well thought of. Rome and the bishops should sell off their assets to pay for it," said Dempsey.

Another unnamed member of the congregation said: " I'm a Mass-goer and I won't give money to this. This is the biggest disaster that has ever happened. It's absolutely crazy to ask people given the property they have and the state the town's economy is in."

Parishioner Paula Davis said: "It's disgraceful to expect the parish to pay for pedophile priests. They should sell off their assets to do this," she added, "It's like getting into debt and asking the priest to pay for something you'd done wrong."

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Posted by liliying on Jun 11, 2010, 09:25 PM EDT

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Posted by adfloatj23 on Mar 22, 2010, 10:09 AM EDT

I don`t know what you are all surprised about, Come on all you uneducated dumb Catholics the church is in trouble, Who cares if Rome has more gold than Fort Knox, The church needs more, You cant expect the church to pay for its mistakes that`s what you are there for, So pony up all you suckers, Their God will thank you, Oh yeah I forgot only the boys in skirts will go to heaven all you others if you don`t donate you ain`t getting there, Sounds like Evangelists don`t it!!!

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Posted by barneyjo on Mar 06, 2010, 09:00 PM EST

2beeornot2beeee!! heres something more for you to manufacture another saliva spitting rant over (in case you had nothing better to do) "A statue of Jesus Christ that sat on top of Killarney Community Hospital for over 70 years has been taken down for health and safety reasons." Lunatics are in charge of the asylum looks like!! From your friend in Christ, Barneyjo

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Posted by barneyjo on Mar 06, 2010, 08:52 PM EST

Oh, and 2beornottobe, I think that you are further from God than you even realise yourself. I pity you my friend!!

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Posted by barneyjo on Mar 06, 2010, 08:43 PM EST

2bornot2b - get a life, and then get your head out of the sand!! Who are you to judge me? You dont know me, nor have you walked in my shoes. Until you do, then keep your own counsel about your own faith and support for the church, and I'll keep mine. As a practicing (lifelong) Catholic I continue to practice my faith, and support the church in many ways (giving of my time in a voluntary capacity) but I will NOT CONTRIBUTE ONE PENNY (CENT) more until I know that my contributions are being put to proper use. NOT to fund retirment plans or homes for disgraced, defrocked, or just released from prison Clergy. I will NOT abandon the teachings of Jesus which have sustained me throughout my life. I WILL HAPPILY AND WITH A GLAD HEART AND CLEAR CONSCIENCE disassociate myself with the inherent dishonesty, insincerity and hypocracy that is prevalant within the Catholic Church today, the world over. Christ himself, gave us a lead to do this. He didnt think twice about throwing hawkers and moneychangers out of the holy places in the temple, because it was wrong in his eyes that they were there. What is good enough for Christ, is good enough for me. KEEP THE FAITH - CHANGE THE CHURCH!! "Oh Sacred heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you!!"

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Posted by kickstar on Mar 06, 2010, 08:09 AM EST

Amid all this kerfuffle has anyone noticed that all this church of Rome is about is hiding from the Law and raising Money?? I mean what does this effrontery of a church do by way of following the Instructions of God and the teaching of Jesus, It is lead by the devil has made an art out of devil worshiping.

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