PATSY McGARRY, Religious Affairs Correspondent
THE 18 religious congregations whose management of residential institutions for children gave rise to the Ryan report have agreed to present detailed reports on their financial position to Government by the middle of next month. The agreement was reached at a meeting with Taoiseach Brian Cowen and Cabinet Ministers in Government Buildings yesterday.
The reports, which must be signed off by each congregation’s financial adviser, will then be assessed “by a panel of three eminent independent persons”, according to a Government statement issued after the meeting.
The panel will “assess the material submitted by the congregations and report to Government as to the adequacy of these statements as a basis for assessing the resources of the congregations”.
There will then be further contact with the congregations to discuss the extent of their contributions to a trust proposed by the Taoiseach so that further financial and other supports can be provided to people who were in the institutions as children.
Representatives of all 18 religious congregations attended the meeting yesterday along with Mr Cowen, Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe, Minister for Health Mary Harney, Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern, and Minister of State at the Department of Children Barry Andrews.
It is understood that some of the larger congregations had hoped to be given until September to prepare their financial reports.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Fr Joe O’Reilly, Irish provincial of the Rosminian congregation, said the three-person panel which would assess financial reports submitted by the congregations would be of the Government’s choosing and “be recognised by the public as independent”.
Speaking on behalf of all 18 congregations, he said it was expected that all would make full disclosure of their financial position, including assets abroad.
At a meeting with the Taoiseach and the same Ministers on June 5th, representatives of the 18 congregations agreed to an independent audit of their assets. They also agreed to contribute to the trust proposed by the Taoiseach and committed themselves to identifying resources, “both financial and other, within a transparent process with a view to delivering upon commitments”.
After the meeting Christine Buckley of the Aislinn Centre told Fr O’Reilly that in her view the Christian Brothers, the Sisters of Mercy and the Sisters of Charity, who she said had been responsible for “the most barbaric acts” in residential institutions, were hiding behind him as spokesman for the congregations. It was her “huge concern” and “hope that the Government has copped on to the behaviour of most of the 18 congregations, not all”.
When Fr O’Reilly came out of the meeting he was also confronted by Robert Dempsey, who spent time at St Joseph’s industrial school, near Clonmel, Co Tipperary, in the 1970s. It was run by the Rosminians. Fr O’Reilly said he had met Mr Dempsey before and hoped to help him “in whatever way we can”.
The Irish Times 25th June 2009
Whatever about “supporters” listening to me. I absolutely agree with you TOGETHER WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL. The sooner we all come to grips with the concept of working together, the better. Right now, we are playing right into the hands of the government. They will let this division go on and on – DIVIDE AND CONQUER.
Would Paddy’s supporters please listen to him and act by putting pen to paper. TOGETHER WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL.
Kathleen. I appreciate your confidence in me and thank you for it. There’s no doubt that what’s needed is some sort of unity in the whole ‘survivor’s of abuse’ structure. Right now it is all over the place and people are operating without a mandate, doing shady deals, having clandestine meetings and making decisions without any consultation with the people they claim to represent. WE NEED CHANGE AND WE NEED IT NOW. Paddy.
Thank you Paddy and Norah for your vote of confidence. I nominate you Paddy.
What we require first, is to get the Survivors to UNITE of which I am one. There are so many split divisions, ie Groups and warring parties. We need to show the Religious and Government that we are United. Mandela managed this in South Africa. The difference between us and the Black South Africa is we were poor. Sadly we show our weakness when we fight in public. We learnt this behaviour from the lovely holy Sisters and Christian Brothers. It is time that we showed ourselves to be the dignified people that we are capable of being. The Domestic Violence that we were exposed to for many years, must be laid aside. They certainly did not set a good example.
What do you think the lovely Nuns would have done to the Virgin Mary and her Child had his birth taken place in a Stable somewhere in Southern Ireland, then for her to state that she was “The Virgin Mary”. My view is she would have been accused of being an Unfit Mother and Jesus kidnapped by the N.S.P.C.C. taken to Court, declared destitute and committed to an Industrial School up to the age of sixteen. How different history would been be today.
Norah. If that were put to a vote, I would vote early and vote often for Kathleen O’Malley. Like you, I too am sick and tired of awards being thrown around like the proverbial snuff at a wake.
Paddy
Me thinks Kathleen O’Malley should be put in charge of over seeing a new investigation into the so called group leaders. At this stage Paddy I’m sick and tired of reading the papers only to find this one and that have been giving awards
Simply Survivors are clearly still distressed due to the secret deals that took place over these past years. The Redress Board was set up to fast track Survivors . Then when that door had closed, the Ryan Report emerged after Survivors had been forced to prove their stories by Legal Representation. The compensation was then referred to as an “Award”. Where is the acknowledgement of the abuse clearly stated. This was clearly a well staged performance by the Government and Religious, putting the Cart before the Horse.
Last time I looked Catherine, there were no flies on me! I’m convinced that despite the fact we all know about the collusion of Church and State that there will be priority given to people who were abused while in the care of the religious and let’s not forget, the State
This government is paying lip service to survivors of abuse. Their numbers in the Dáil when the debate on Ryan was going on suggests that. I was in Dáil Eireann and many times there was about 15 deputies in the chamber at the time the Taoiseach was speaking about the most serious issue to hit the this country. When the Government were trying to get their own arses kept in the Dáil the day the March of Solidarity took place, the chamber was packed.
Paddy says:-
“It seems to me as though the Religious Orders are playing for time or even trying to do another dodgy deal with the Government.”
True, Paddy, but lest we forget, the Iris Government have been in cahoots with Rome ever since this so-called Free State of ours was formed. They are basically all one and the same!
Its Business as Usual, and will continue to be so – as long as the Irish people themselves cop-on to the fact that we do not have a genuinely democratic government. End of story!
Procrastination is the thief of time – Indeed. And the people on the other side(Dept. of Education and the Religious Order) are the people who stole the playtime of thousands and thousands of children. These people are well able to protect money, it’s children they have a problem with.
I do get the sinking feeling that the meeting with the Government was just a publicity exercise!
Paddy.
Spot on.
As my Dad would say- “there are no flies on Paddy Doyle.”
Ah you know these boys very well, having learned their tricks over the years.
There is no time left for those who propagate evil and corruption.
Look at the Government and so many lawliars.
Combine them with the boys in frocks and feel the collusion.
How very nice to find someone agrees with me! I’m never exactly, flavour of the month. Thanks.
Here here.Paddy
It seems to me as though the Religious Orders are playing for time or even trying to do another dodgy deal with the Government. We must not allow this to happen. According to a young English poet, Edward Young, “Procrastination is the thief of time” Reading accounts of the meetings held between the religious orders and the government one could be forgiven for thinking that procrastination was at work big time.