06 December 2009 By John Burke Public Affairs Correspondent
Catholic congregations ignored a government request to keep secret details of their offers to a fund to support survivors of clerical abuse.
The government told the 18 religious orders that it wanted to inform the survivors of institutional abuse before the offers made by the Church bodies were made public, The Sunday Business Post has learned.
The Provincial of the Dominican Order, Fr Pat Lucey, confirmed that the Department of Education wrote to the congregations last month asking them to hold off making their contributions public until victims had been consulted.
Fr Bernard Treacy, a spokesman for Lucey, said the Dominicans were ‘‘withholding details of offers out of respect for the victims and in line with the government’s request’’.
Education minister Batt O’Keeffe told the Dáil last week that his department wanted abuse survivors to be ‘‘the first to know’’ the details of the congregations’ offers.
The government told the congregations earlier this year that they would have to pay more to cover redress costs for victims of institutional abuse, which have so far exceeded €1 billion.
The request for extra funds was made after publication of the Ryan Report, which revealed widespread abuse of children in Catholic-run institutions.
So far, 15 out of the 18 religious orders have made public the amounts they have pledged to the fund, either by issuing statements or publishing their accounts and offers to the fund online.
Last week, three more congregations revealed that they planned to contribute up to €1.5 million each to the trust that is being set up. The Order of St John Of God has pledged to contribute €1 million to the trust.
The order informed the state that its most significant assets were land and buildings worth €465.7 million, of which €464.2 million are in use providing services to clients with mental health issues or intellectual disabilities.
The Daughters of the Heart of Mary have pledged to contribute €1.5 million, according to the order’s provincial, Sister Mary Brogan, who said that the congregation would make its assets and liabilities public later.
A spokesman for the Congregation of Our Lady of Sisters of Charity said that the order would be contributing €1.5 million.
The order is also offering to transfer a ‘‘significant property of 280 square meters in size’’ to the Health Service Executive as part of the process.
The spokesman did not have details of the congregation’s declaration of assets and liabilities, he said. The Sisters of Mercy last week pledged to contribute €20 million in cash, and properties valued at €107.5 million, while the Brothers of Charity said they would pay €1.5 million to the trust fund. Two congregations, the Rosminians and the Good Shepherd Sisters, have said they are unable to contribute.
The three congregations that have not disclosed their proposed contributions to the trust are the Dominicans, the Nazareth Sisters and the St Clare Sisters.
Sunday Business Post
We were sold down the river by so called Group representatives who have encouraged a dependency culture amongst the survivors so that their jobs are safe going into the future. We need mobilisation now, to get these tossers out of our hair and make our own demands. Right of Place had already drafted the Phoenix Report which was to be the Trust Fund where these monies would go. No survivors were consulted on this document. It was an underhand ploy that went drastically wrong and was vetoed at the meeting in Dublin on 16 August. Four of those present at that meeting then went to the bishops and had a further meeting without a mandate from survivors. Ask these guys and they’ll tell you they have thousands on their books – piffle! – I keep my ear to the ground and most survivors ain’t even heard of these groups. Time to break this cartel and the cosying up to the church and state. The Rosminians are unable to contribute any further monies, could that be because Noel Barry has been receiving finances from them for the last ten years? Paddy no censorship please! These questions need to be asked and answered!
CONVERSATIONS OF THE PAST
With all the talk of strikes, higher wage demands, and weakened by fraud and accountability, Ireland is creeping towards a precipice. If it does not stop and think and move forward as a nation together all gains will be devoured by our weaknesses. We should remember the lessons of our past, which are always omnipresent and can often show us the outlines of our future. After all, like most other creatures that share this planet, we are creatures of habit. Lest we forget those pages of history it is well to remember one scribe from it:
“The enemy is within the gate; It is with our own luxuries, our folly, our criminality, our greed, that which we have to contend”. All of these alignments will decide our future and comes from the opinion and pen of Marcus Cicero, who died on this day, the ninth of December, two thousand and forty three years ago.
Barry Clifford, 18, Carrowmannagh park, Oughterard, Galway, Ireland. e mail: bgclifford@iol.ie
When a Prime minister of any country accepts an insult and “understands” and beleives it was delivered “in good faith” and that ambassador is still in the country then that country has problems with asserting its soverignty. Yes it is a disgrace like so many things with Ireland and the Church. I am ashamed of Ireland and wonder what it could have become witout interference by a foreign state and its agent the Roman Church.
What a national disgrace to Ireland and the Catholic Church still not to much response from the Vatican they should hang their heads in shame I thankfully live here in the UK I escaped from Ireland as soon as I was free of the Institutions we were told as little children we would burn in hell if we were not good now I hope the people who committed these crimes against us innocent children will burn in hell Gabrielle North please print this Paddy
WHAT IF.’
Jesus had been born in Ireland and in a STABLE, Mother unmarried Father unknown. He would have had the stigma of “Illegitimate”.
The N.S.P.C.C. would have whipped him to Court, had him committed to an Industrial School, reason, found to be in the care of an unfit Mother and destitute.
No disrespect meant to those who believe. Just an observation.’
“The order is also offering to transfer a ‘‘significant property of 280 square meters in size’’ to the Health Service Executive as part of the process.”
280 square meters? Is that a misprint? They should all be bankrupted.
The department of Finance should emplöy these people and why not rent them to other European countries who need astute and cunning financial advisors.
Paddy, somebody, anybody!!!…please will you enlighten me and tell me what all this now means??..
So does this mean all survivors will receive more compensation,or is that just for the Government?!?..to line their pockets and then they throw a few peanuts at the “survivor groups” to “counsel” us until we croak it!..and they wanted to tell us first how much the congregations are giving us!!??!!lol. What a joke Paddy, your so right!
God forgive me but we should all be living in comfort now, for all those years we worked, hungry, cold day in day out cleaning cold concrete floors on my hands and knees in my knickers and vest. Taking the berry’s of the trees because we were so hungry, eating the left overs from the pigs buckets,going to bed so hungry your belly ached.
It was only yesterday I was thinking about father Christmas! and every year it was the same old priest who chased us around the hall beating us with a stick! we were scared half to death! he must of got such a kick out of terrifying us.
Anne
The whole thing is getting more and more ridiculous. It would be funny if it wasn’t so serious. Of that, there is no doubt.
The sisters of Nazareth are about the richest, if not THE richest order in the catholic church. They are also supposedly autonomous, and answer to no one.
Considering the amount of harm they’ve caused over the last 1-200 years with their cruelty, they should pay the most, IMO.
So how were the so called Group Leaders going to let us know they have no websites, were they going to telephone us and let us know. Jaysus Paddy it’s gets funnier and funnier