BishopAccountability.org
	Compo over Student Abuse Rejected NEWS.com.au (Australia) May 26, 2009 http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25539296-23109,00.html IRISH Catholic religious orders which ran homes where children were abused for decades have ruled out renegotiating a disputed deal for compensating victims. The announcement comes despite pressure from Cardinal Sean Brady, leader of the Catholic church in Ireland, for the orders to do more following a major report last week that exposed widespread abuse in church-run institutions. In another development, police say they have appointed a senior officer to examine the report to see if any criminal charges should follow. "We fully accept that we seriously failed vulnerable people while in our care and that we have an ongoing responsibility to try to meet their needs," the 18 orders who ran the institutions said after a meeting today. "Rather than re-opening the terms of the agreement reached with government in 2002, we reiterate our commitment to working with those who suffered enormously while in our care. "We must find the best and most appropriate ways of directly assisting them." In the 2002 deal, the Catholic orders capped their share of the compensation bill for abuse victims at 128 million euros ($A230 million), but opposition politicians have called on the government to renegotiate.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.