Bishop Denis Brennan (Bishop of Ferns in Ireland) is being criticized for asking parishioners to help to pay for compensation claims linked to sexual abuse damages. The diocese has already paid 8 million euros to settle 48 civil actions arising from decades of sexual abuse by priests. An additional 13 actions are pending.
Bishop Brennan has stated that his residence had been remortgaged to cover nearly €2 million in legal fees. In a move that may be repeated around the world, the Diocese is asking its 100,000 members in 80 parishes to collectively contribute €60,000 a year for the next 20 years.
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This was many many years ago ( 1950’s ), I have no idea what the procedure would be now.
Canadian,
I can’t even imagine needing permission to marry after they are no longer held by their vows. Congrats to them!
Nope, my aunt was a nun and a nurse who fell in love with the priest of the church that she served. He, in time also fell in love with her. In order to leave their positions and remain
” good Catholics ” they had to request and get granted permission from the Pope. They were granted permission, married and went on to have 6 children, she gave up her nursing position to be wife and mother and he went on to teach, get promoted to school principal, and later served as a Board of Education member in the city where they live. They are both happily retired now.
Canadian,
What do you mean “special permission to marry”? I am Catholic and survived Catholic grade school and I never heard of special permission to marry. If they are no longer a priest or nun, they can marry and do whatever they want. Were they married while they were still a priest and a nun? Interesting.
Having known, and in fact been semi-raised by a devout Catholic ( I actually have an aunt & uncle who were once a priest & nun before receiving special permission by the pope to marry )I am sad to say that I have no doubt what so ever that parishiners will happily pay the tab!
That’s shameless. Of course the Catholic Church can just sell some of its assets (The Vatican, mabybe) to pay its legal fees.
“You want money for WHAT?” – Jesus H. Christ (Larry 9:14)
Hey … if you are a member of the Roman Catholic Church then you are responsible for the actions of your church … pay up guys and dolls.
Continuing on … if you are a citizen of the United States then you are responsible for the actions of your government … waterboarding and all.
While I don’t put down religious belief and am myself a deist, it seems organized religion is mostly a scam to fleece the flock.
While it’s true that the RC Church has turned the frugal lifestyle of Jesus into what was first almost a Roman satrap and then its’ own empire, we see today in Billy Graham, Pat Robertson, etc. institutions set up to shear the sheep. No doubt this exists in other religions including Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and my own Judaism.
That the RC Church would even make this plea while its’ aristocrats live in complete luxury is chutzpah to the nth degree. Also the points made about the need for investigations and prosecutions are well taken, but the fear of the authorities in doing this is palpable. The gift of prophecy is one to be skeptical of despite the beauty of the message, because after the prophets come the sociopaths who use the words for their own selfish ends.
Think about this. Imagine any other organization facing these charges. The charter would be revoked; all assets sold off; all owners charged with one crime or another. Any organization but the church would be dissolved and they would all be in jail. What kind of sick equation is this?
There is clear evidence that even the pope knew about this before he got elected.
What a shame.
I’m with rafflaw, EVERYONE who helped cover these abuses up should be facing CRIMINAL charges!!
They aren’t ‘special’ just because they are in the church.
And as bad as these cases are, abuses by the police are WAY more common. And a LOT harder to get them prosecuted for their crimes.
Since most of the time they try to keep the story “local”, authorities won’t comment, and then the victims are paid off with a huge chunk of taxpayer funds. Usually with a non disclosure included, so NO facts about how people are being abused by the cops ever comes out to the general public.
Here’s a couple of the more horrific examples…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5hf-aDEAr8
AY, I agree. Shouldn’t these sex offenders be prosecuted? Very few have been prosecuted here in the States and the Bishops and Cardinals and the Pope should be in front of grand juries or their country’s equivalent bodies, to answer for knowingly hiding the priests that committed these abuses.
Amen, now what about the Chief of Pedophiles? Will the money be given back to the Dioceses so that it may be distributed accordingly?