Irish nuns offer 128 million euros to abuse victims

[lemonbeam]

DUBLIN — An Irish Catholic order of nuns who were strongly criticised in a report on child abuse said Thursday it will pay 128 million euros (193 million dollars) in damages.

The Sisters of Mercy said the cash and property was “reparation for the suffering of children while in residential institutions within Mercy care”.

In deciding to make the contribution, the nuns said the order “attempted to be faithful to the values of reparation, reconciliation, healing and responsibility”.

“It is the sincere hope and desire of the congregation that this contribution will help towards the enhancement of the lives of former residents,” they said in a statement.

It is the second major payment in recent weeks from a religious order as the mainly Roman Catholic country reels from the shock of child abuse revelations.

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[NPC]

I think this is a good gesture on the part of the Sisters of Mercy. However, all these calls for reparation on the part of the Church and religious orders - and I don’t doubt that there should be reparation - make me wonder where it will all end. Obviously money will not, in and of itself, fix the broken lives of those who suffered abuse, but of course it can help in ways. But I wonder that since no amount of money will heal old wounds, how much will be enough & who will decide what’s enough?

Perhaps the Irish Government will set up yet another commission to decide how best to spend the money

In time, there will probably be billions of euros given to help the victims. I don’t think it would be unreasonable for the general public to be informed of how the money is being distributed - obviously, not in such detail as “Mr X was paid xxx” or “Ms Y was paid xxx”, but maybe something along the lines of x% was paid out to individuals, y% was paid for counselling, or z% towards a support fund for other victims of abuse, &c, &c…

 

[Yellow_Belle]

Perhaps the Irish Government will set up yet another commission to decide how best to spend the money

 

[Hopemercy]

Aghast here that an organisation vowed to Holy Poverty can have this kind of money?

And have hidden it until it was forced from them.

One of the biggest gripes we are hearing more and more now is how rich the Church is here; and how many now in this recession are struggling to feed families and keep a roof over their heads.

Yes, they give a a little and make a great show of it; but the need now is so huge. We are putting food resources to Dublin now and the need in these bitter months?

The stories we are hearing now are more and more of the rich lives priests and religious lead; see the story re the almost millionaire curate who cheated on his tax and uttered a “foul mouthed tirade” to the press.

Seven years we have been here now an dthe more we see the worse it becomes. .

Skellig Michael looks more appealing every day!

The Residential Institutions Redress Board