Clerical abuse damages - Preying on flock to pay for abuse

Bishop of Ferns Dr Denis Brennan has invited the people of the diocese to help raise money for compensation payments to survivors of paedophile child abuse in the diocese stretching back to the 1940s.

The inquiry into clerical paedophile abuse in the diocese uncovered an appalling catalogue of abuse involving more than 100 allegations against 21 different priests.

To date, 48 cases have been settled at a cost of over €8 million, while there are a further 13 civil suits pending. Dr Brennan explained that a further €2.1m was paid towards different inquiries, and €836,000 towards the treatment of paedophile priests. That means that the cost so far is close to €11m.

The bishop was careful to stress that the people who suffered the abuse are not the cause of the current problem. Instead, he said, “the actions of individual perpetrators, along with mismanagement, poor understanding and/or lack of resolve are”.

The actual abuse was seriously compounded by the outrageous conduct of Church authorities as they sought to cover up the abuses by transferring the deviant priests to unsuspecting communities where they continued to prey on other innocent children. To dismiss this culpable indifference as “poor understanding” is an insult to public intelligence.

In the process, it should not be forgotten, that those Church authorities not only betrayed the children who were abused but also those good, decent people with genuine vocations to serve humanity. This betrayal was not just the result of “poor understanding”, it was a gross betrayal of moral decency and basic humanity. And it should be recognised as such.

It is time the Church authorities, right up to the Vatican, recognise their own culpability and accept full responsibility, rather than exploiting the faithful in those diocese where the children were abused. Many of the older people throughout the diocese may well feel obliged to contribute out of a devotional duty, but they should not even be asked.

The Church authorities have control over enormous wealth in property and art, and this should be used to raise the money, rather than exploiting the devotion of vulnerable people to bail them out. In recent years church attendances have fallen precipitously.

There has been a noticeable decline in the number of younger adults attending weekly Masses. Maybe the devotion of elder members can be exploited, but this is an abuse in itself that will inevitably provoke further resentment among those who are already disillusioned by the irresponsible conduct of Church authorities.

It is time those Church authorities accept their full responsibility for the mess.