We're skint say the religious orders who ran the industrial schools and Magadalene laundries.
Can't afford to compensate all those victims of abuse. We'll pray for their souls, at no extra charge.
The Irish Government is looking at a cost approaching E1.36 billion (with a b) to compensate victims of a social engineering scheme that went horribly wrong.
It's contained within the pages of Katie Hanrahan's The Leaven of the Pharisees.
Naturally, the State would like the religious orders to help financially, since they benefitted financially from the arrangement. Rather than cash, which is in short supply, they'd like the congregations to hand over some schools that are currently being rented by the State. The idea is make the punishment equal to both sides that had their hands in the instutionalized abuse of several generations of Irish children and women.
The clergy aren't stupid, however. They've long since been putting their properties into trusts, to protect their assets. The Christian Brothers don't own their schools, but the Edmund Rice Trust does. The Sisters of Mercy and the Daughters of Charity followed suit, and safeguarded their schools in their own trust.
Can't turn over to the Government what they don't own, now, can they?
Ruairi Quinn, Minister for Education, will be meeting with the religious orders to convince them that they really should transfer title to the Government in lieu of financial compensation.
Does anyone honestly expect him to make any headway at all?
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