Archbishop admits Church cannot afford compensation bill

By John Downing, Political Correspondent – The Star

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin admits he does not have money to deal with clerical child abuse claims. 

He is frank about the problem he inherited in the Dublin Archdiocese when he took over one year ago from Cardinal Desmond Connell.  “I walked into an explosive situation.  We are continuing to try to deal with it” he said simply.  “Aside from personal hurt and blighted lives, the bill is considerable.  I am talking to the priests about how we face up to the issue”.  “It will mean finding new money, I don’t have it, he told The Star.

Latest Dublin figures show EUR3.7 million has been paid in settlements, with EUR1.3m in legal costs to date.  An extra EUR1 million was spent on archdiocesan child protection fund.  But all the signs are that the problem is continuing to grow, with claims dating back to before 1996 still expected.  The archdiocese has so far paid EUR2.5 to a “Stewardship Fund” set up to in 1996 to deal with the problem.

Over the next four years it is set to double its contribution to the fund from which it has also drawn EUR3.7m to date to fund claims and other activities.  Dr Martin says there have been abuse allegations against 63 priests of the Dublin Archdiocese dating from 1953.  Just seven have been convicted in courts.

A total of 96 abuse victims have taken claims against the Dublin Archdiocese, with 41 cases still awaiting conclusion.  “I want these cases quickly concluded so people don’t go through unnecessary suffering” Dr Martin said.

Apart from drawing on the Stewardship Fund, Dr Martin is relying upon bequests and legacies to the archdiocese.  He said he was also looking at possible property sales.  Officials said a levy on parishioners was not being considered at this stage.

Experience shows one claim against an offender frequently leads to more.  And further claims may come in response to a Government-appointed Commission of Investigation into how the Archdiocese handled the issue over the years.  The Commission will start work within weeks.

“The inquiry will look at the level of knowledge by those in authority in the church and whether for example they dealt with it by moving suspect clergy around, a Government official said yesterday.

The problem is dealt with each diocese individually – and many have been extremely secretive about their operations.  Nine dioceses have yet to indicate how much they have paid into the Stewardship Fund – or how the money was raised.  But Bishop Kilmore Leo O’Reilly writing in this months diocesan magazine noted that the Bishops estimated in May 2004 it would cost EUR5 million a year for the next 10 years.  Kilmore which mainly covers Co Cavan has 55,000 Catholics and is expected to contribute more than EUR66, 000 a year.

Dr O’Reilly proposes raising the funds each year from EUR35, 000 in rental income due on diocesan property; EUR25, 000 from priests and the bishops and more than EUR6, 000 from income on diocesan investments.

Kilmore diocesan secretary, Fr Paul Casey admits the Church erred badly in handling the issue in the past – but argues that much is being done now to retrieve the situation.  “The horrible crime of child abuse is a societal problem and not confined to the church” he told The Star.

The Full scale of the clerical child abuse problem and its cost is only emerging, campaigner, Colm O’Gorman is convinced.  Catholic Church figures covering all 26 diocese in Ireland show that they have paid EUR6.24m to 143 people who where abused by priests.  Another astonishing EUR2.53m was spent on lawyer’s fees indicating the Church’s tendency to fight hard in many cases.

For Colm O’Gorman the work of people like Archbishop Martin is making a big difference.  But the head of the Organisation One in Four says there is little evidence of change in other diocese.  “The reality is we are witnessing the beginning of this problem.  And the faithful are one way or another the ones who are obliged to pay the bills” he said.

A special inquiry into child sex abuse in Ferns is due to report sometime soon, while another inquiry into how the issue was handled in Dublin is about to begin.  In diocese after diocese Bishops are realising that they have to come up with more money.

In Derry, an attempt by Bishop Seamus Hegarty to take money from parish mass collection had to be withdrawn after popular protest.

Mr O’Gorman believes it indicates that Ireland’s EUR4million Catholics will not be so keen to automatically continuing “praying and paying”.  He believes that current compensation amounts averaging EUR45, 000 per person are low and likely to be increased by pressures such as recent court awards.

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