Catholic Church supporting 15 priests accused of child sexual abuse
Saturday, 28 November 2009
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The Catholic Church is continuing to support priests accused of child sexual abuse -- including five who were convicted.
Of the 46 priests in the damning Dublin Archdiocesan report, 15 are receiving financial support either directly or indirectly from the diocese.
However, the Church has also employed an ex-garda detective to work as a liaison officer with the priests and monitor their behaviour.
Some 11 of the 46 were members of religious orders, while one belongs to a UK diocese. A further 10 mentioned in the report are dead but as of July 2008 the report found that out of the remainder:
- Eight are supported by the Clerical Fund Society, three of whom are convicted abusers.
- Two are supported by the Curial Trust -- both are laicised and both are convicted abusers.
- Five are supported by the Common Fund, four of whom were in ministry.
- A further nine are not supported by the archdiocese and are not in ministry. Two of these were convicted of child sex abuse.
A spokeswoman for the archdiocese said the continuing support given to priests who had been accused of child abuse was a "deliberate policy, based on current best practice, aimed at protecting children".
"The men involved receive less financial support than retired priests and less again than working priests of the diocese," she said.
"They are asked to cooperate with the Irish Child Protection Service in the diocese which monitors their living arrangements and stability. If they don't cooperate their financial support is cut off. This is the only service of its kind in the country . . . that we are aware of that works in this manner with people accused."
She added that any information on these men is shared with the gardai and the Republic's HSE.
However, she refused to say whether financial support had been cut off from any priests since last year, saying she had "nothing further to add".
Up until July 2008 a total of €77,000 was paid by the archdiocese in legal fees for the priests. However, priests pay their own legal fees if they are charged with an offence.
Last night, Maeve Lewis of One in Four said the priests should be supported in whatever way helps to prevent them from further abusing children.
She said that in some dioceses the priests were automatically laicised and this means that the Church "ceases to have any supervision" over them.
Marie Collins, a victim of clerical sex abuse, said that if the Church was financing the men, then that had to go hand in hand with "very intense monitoring" of their activities. "Care must be taken that they have no access to children," she said.
Source: Irish Independent
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Things will never change until we begin prosecuting those who coverup as well as those who do the sexual abusing. Child sexual abuse is no longer an isolated event; it is an epidemic and no one seems to care. Our prisons are filled with victims of sexual abuse and pedophiles but you don't see many professionals such as priests, politicians and doctors being prosecuted. Money talks!!!
Posted by cathy motsinger | 03.12.09, 02:50 GMT
It is sad that evil is happening in the church of God...men that claim to be Godly hurting children in sick ways.....but for all you believers out there, and I included, they will be judged one day by the one they are claiming to devote their lives to.
Posted by ashley | 01.12.09, 06:00 GMT
More kids were abused by teachers and care-workers in Ulster.
Sex offenders are allowed to teach in our schools in Ulster, so what is the difference?
48 priests in that report, and 2000 Briti9sh teachers referred to List 99 in one year.
Posted by gregory | 30.11.09, 23:09 GMT
Imagine that. I don't recall the defence of pedophiles being anywhere in the Bible or the Ten Commandments. Maybe we should investigate the ones who are sticking up for them. Or maybe we should allow women to become priests, little boys would be alot safer.
Posted by Michael | 29.11.09, 17:45 GMT
This ' child abuse' scandal in the Church of Rome has done more to promote atheism and secular humanism than the devil himself.
In the light of such evil and profoundly sinful activity by members of its orders, the Vatican appears to have been consistently deaf to the cries of victims, but is seen to presently support the perpetrators.
It is a tragedy when any denomination uses the name of God to destroy the existence of God. Sin must never be excused or concealed, it must be repented of.
'He that covereth his sins shall not prosper', (Prov28:13)
Posted by Rev Mervyn Cotton | 29.11.09, 14:09 GMT
I fail to understand the Catholic Church's unnatural policy of priestly celibacy. Whilst some men might be able to embrace this diktat there must me many who struggle daily/hourly with this imposition. St Paul might well have embraced and recommended this condition but he was an exceptional man. The continued abuse proves that many a just fallible human beings and as a married man my heart goes out to them.
Posted by Derek Holmes | 29.11.09, 08:30 GMT
a ex garda to monitor the priests thats like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse. brian canada
Posted by blackburn | 28.11.09, 22:26 GMT
But why are they not in prison? In my personal opinion the only reason the Catholic Church is not Globally closed down is that it has such massive resources of money, power and political influence. They have just threatened to refuse communion to Politicians in Spain if they do not vote as told. I think God is offended by that. However I suspect that even the devout are no longer fooled by the abuse of doctrine for political manipulation. It now appears that what stands between God and man is the organised religions.
Posted by K | 28.11.09, 19:39 GMT
Its hardly surprising the church is supporting them. After all, they knew their priests where sexually molesting and raping the children and they stood by and did nothing anyway...
Posted by Get Real! | 28.11.09, 12:37 GMT
thats religion for you, look after their own at any cost. wheres the morality in that? huh?
Posted by Dom | 28.11.09, 12:13 GMT