On the heels of the Ryan report that detailed decades of child abuse by religious organizations in Irish schools, the cry went up over a deal that was cut in 2002.
Back then, the Irish government sat down with the congregations at the heart of the scandal and negotiated a compensation package. The orders were to kick in so many millions, and the State, having a large chunk of responsibility on its own hands, would cover the rest. Total cost was estimated to be around 250 million euros, give or take.
The report's been issued, and the compensation to victims is estimated to run into the hundreds of millions of euro. How about if the religious orders reconsider their deal and accept more of the burden? No, thanks just the same, they've said, let's not.
Father Enda McDonagh has a much better idea.
Since the Sisters of Mercy have said no, they won't re-negotiate the deal, and the Christian Brothers cry poor, Father McDonagh would like all the Catholics to dig deep and fund compensation for the victims of clerical abuse.
Sure didn't you have a fine Christian Brother as a teacher, and aren't you successful today because of it? Don't you owe it to the order, to help them out when they're busy putting their assets into a trust? Shouldn't we all we be contributing?
Ask the orders about their assets and you'd think they'd all taken a vow of silence. How much do they have that might be donated to the very people who worked as slave labor while the congregations raked in money on rosary beads and laundry? None of anyone's business, apparently.
And there's the good Father, asking that the faithful bail out those who caused incalculable damage to human beings and the very Church itself.
Sad, how so many are blind because they will not see.
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