Claimants over clerical sex abuse 'will rise'
Added on March 19, 2005
Saturday March 19th 2005
THE NUMBER of people making compensation claims for clerical sexual abuse will rise, according to Colm O'Gorman, director of One in Four.
The clerical abuse compensation insurance funds have just about run out, with ?5m having been paid out in the last two years.
Following a three-day meeting in Maynooth this week, the bishops released figures on abuse payments, which show that the steep rise in the cost of clerical abuse funds means that the central compensation funds has been depleted much more quickly than expected. "I think we're only beginning to see the scale of this emerge. If you look at the level of awards that have been paid so far - ?6.24m between 143 people - that's just an average of ?44,000 per award", Mr O'Gorman said.
"That is low compared to settlements being made in courts in institutional abuse cases. I think that will rise. And the numbers of people making claims will rise.
"We know that in the archdiocese of Dublin there were allegations of complaints involving 59 priests at one point.
"And we know that convictions are very hard to secure, so I think that we will be seeing more convictions in the future.
"You're looking at half of those payments going on legal fees. I'm not sure that that reflects terribly good value for money.
"If the bishops were to adopt a less legalistic approach in cases, there doesn't have to be such significant legal fees."
Meanwhile, the Diocese of Killaloe confirmed yesterday that it has made a payment to a third victim of clerical sex abuse.
Bishop of Killaloe Dr Willie Walsh confirmed last December that the diocese paid out over ?250,000 in compensation in 2003 arising from the past sexual abuse of children by priests.
A diocesan spokesman yesterday declined to give any details of the latest payment made, saying that the details will be given through publication of the diocesan accounts later this year.
Anna Sofia Martin
? Irish Independent