THE CATHOLIC Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has denied reports that money from the archdiocese’s general fund was being used to compensate abuse victims. He had “never authorised the use of any parish funds for covering child sexual abuse claims”, he said.
“That has not happened. If it were to happen, I would make that abundantly clear.”
Dr Martin was denying a report in the Irish Catholic newspaper which claimed the general fund was being used to pay abuse compensation claims.
Parishes in the archdiocese had been asked to contribute surplus money to the fund which could be used to pay compensation to abuse victims. The archbishop said this was “not true at the moment”, but that “it could happen”. He had “a responsibility and the diocese has a responsibility to bring comfort to people who were abused within the church community”.
According to figures released by the archdiocese last April, costs for settlement of claims relating to clerical child sex abuse in the archdiocese had reached €13.5 million, €4.2 million of which went on legal costs. A total of 172 civil actions had been taken against 44 priests of the archdiocese, with 117 concluded and 55 ongoing.
Dr Martin said on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland programme yesterday that there was a “much larger” crisis of finance in the diocese because most of its money came from individuals’ contributions.
“The number who are attending Mass is fewer. The monies that have been transferred [to the general fund] don’t come from the [collection] plates,” he said.
“We’ve asked parishes which have had, for various reasons, mainly through the sale of property or land, a surplus, to see is there a way in which we can use some of that money in a sense of solidarity for the overall needs of the diocese, not directly for child sexual abuse, but that we will be able to have money to address the pastoral needs of the diocese we are facing.”
Since he had become archbishop, information with regard to the number of victims of sex abuse and the number of claims against the church had been published on a six-monthly basis.
“I imagine that these claims and the hurt that they represent are going to increase if anything in the coming years,” he said.
He had “an obligation in law” to see that funds were set aside for the probable liabilities he would face.
“I have an obligation to people who are abused. I have an obligation to parishes that they can work properly; I have an obligation to the diocese and I have an obligation to priests to strike the right balance.”
Managing editor of the Irish Catholic Garry O’Sullivan last night claimed it was “clear from a confidential document seen by the Irish Catholic that the ‘general fund’ is specifically for the payment of abuse claims”.
He called on Dr Martin “to identify which parishes have donated money for the general fund and who authorised the ‘donations’ and answer whether or not the people of those parishes were consulted”.
