Shatter Says He Cannot Strip Religious Orders of Charitable Status
RTE News
Minister for Justice Alan Shatter has said he cannot strip the four religious orders who owned the Magdalene Laundries of their charitable status. It follows their refusal to contribute to the Government's multimillion euro redress scheme for survivors of the institutions. Magdalene Survivors Together called on the Government to remove the orders' charitable status and to cease State funding in response to their decision. The orders concerned are the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity, the Sisters of Mercy, the Good Shepherd Sisters and the Religious Sisters of Charity. The nuns have offered to help the women in other ways, such as caring for about 100 of them in residential settings. The Government is set to pay between €34.5m and €58m to the Magdalene survivors. Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said that that he cannot force the four religious orders that ran the Magdalene Laundries to contribute to the compensation scheme. Mr Kenny was responding to a question from Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams as to what Government would do to ensure that the institutions would contribute. Speaking during Leaders Questions in the Dáil, Mr Adams said that it was "not good enough for the Government to be disappointed" in the Orders' decision not to make a contribution. However, Mr Kenny responded by saying that while he would ask the orders in question to reflect on the issue, he could neither force them to contribute, nor strip them of their charitable status. Mr Kenny said that the Government had delivered the redress scheme that the survivors had wanted. The Taoiseach said that the women did not have time on their side, and they wanted a scheme that was non-litigious and that would not be drawn out. Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Shatter said he could neither compel a contribution, nor strip the congregations of their charitable status. Neither was it possible to take legal action against the orders, he said. Mr Shatter said the orders continued to carry out charitable work and qualified for charitable status under the law. The minister repeated his call that the orders reconsider what he called their "unfortunate decision" not to contribute to the Magdalene compensation scheme. He said: "The congregations still engage in works of charitable nature. We have a legal regime relating to charities. "It is not for me as minister to interfere in what is statute law once a congregation, or any other organisation, properly fulfils the conditions to be regarded as a charity and to be given charitable status. "I don't have a legal means to compel a contribution, nor does the Government. I believe the wider public would expect a different approach from the religious congregations. "All I can do as minister is to urge them, in the context of their own understanding of their own ethical and moral obligations in the world in which they engage, to reconsider what I believe is a very unfortunate decision." Magdalene Survivors Together said it was appalling to think that the Dáil is not in a position to hold the orders to account. Steven O'Riordan of the group said: "The perpetrators of the crimes and the enormous suffering with which these women have suffered is being made a mockery of by the religious orders. "We now have a situation whereby the orders who ran these institutions have given the Magdalene women and the Irish people the two fingers." Magdalene survivor Marina Gambold called on the Taoiseach to act. She said: "What these religious orders have done is so disrespectful to all the women who were in those laundries. "They destroyed our lives; they took my human rights away from me. They brought shame and hurt to our country and the Government is just allowing them to insult us like this. "I thought Enda was better than this. I looked into his eye and I told him my story. He quoted my story the night of the official apology and now our leader allows these nuns to do this?" Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has also called on the orders to reconsider their position. He said the State has stepped up to the plate in terms of looking after the women and he called on orders to do the same. But he said the charitable status of those orders is enshrined in law and cannot be removed arbitrarily by the Government. Bethany redress scheme decision next week A decision on a redress scheme for the Bethany Homes survivors will be made at the next Cabinet meeting according to Mr Kenny. Responding to questions from the Sinn Féin TD Mary Lou McDonald, Mr Kenny said it would be dealt with next week. The Sinn Féin deputy said she was "very unimpressed" by Mr Kenny's response regarding the Magdalene Laundry redress scheme and the religious congregations during Leaders Questions. She said it was "anaemic". The Taoiseach said if Ms McDonald ever goes into the Dáil with words of positivity he'd be concerned. He accused her of having a consistent aura of disappointment and negativity, which he said was astounding.
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