If the orders are truly sorry, they must fund the future well being of children

THE people who abused children in our industrial schools were “the dregs of society in a certain sense”.

They weren’t people who had real vocations, or accepted the sanctity of their vows. Instead it was the case (way back then, apparently) that “having a priest, Christian brother or a nun in the family was a status symbol and would ensure they were cared for to the end of their days”. What’s more, “Many of those had no real vocations and in that sense they were frustrated sexually... It was not in that sense a choice, it was almost a condition they accepted reluctantly.”

These aren’t my views. They’re the views of Fr Vincent Twomey, who holds both a PhD in Theology and is Professor Emeritus of Moral Theology at the Pontifical University of St Patrick’s College in Maynooth. He is also a friend of the current Pope, and someone who has given several interviews about the extraordinary merit of his friend Pope Benedict.