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Religious congregations have net assets running to hundreds of millions of euro

Figure significant in context of Government wanting congregations to contribute to compensating those affected by abuse as Department of Education indicates work on redress scheme will take time

The congregation of the Holy Spirit which runs Blackrock College told the Charities Regulator it had net assets of €157.4 million. Meanwhile, the congregation of Christian Brothers had €54 million. Photograph: Sam Boal/Collins Photos
The congregation of the Holy Spirit which runs Blackrock College told the Charities Regulator it had net assets of €157.4 million. Meanwhile, the congregation of Christian Brothers had €54 million. Photograph: Sam Boal/Collins Photos
Martin Wall
Sat Sept 14 2024 - 06:00

A number of religious congregations in Ireland have tens of millions – and in some cases hundreds of millions – each in net assets.

An analysis of the financial returns provided by a sample group of religious congregations to the Charities Regulator shows collectively they had about €1.3 billion in cash and other assets.

The congregation of the Holy Spirit which runs Blackrock College, for example, told the Regulator it had net assets of €157.4 million last year. The congregation of Christian Brothers had €54 million in net assets.

Following a report last week which found a systemic culture of abuse in religious-run day and boarding schools, uncovering thousands of cases where children were allegedly sexually abused, the Government signalled it wanted congregations to contribute to the cost of compensating those affected.

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Taoiseach Simon Harris said religious orders who ran the schools had to “step up” when it came to redress.

The Government is to establish a statutory inquiry into the sexual abuse of children in schools. However, the Department of Education on Friday suggested the groundwork for such a process could take some time. Government decisions on how the planned commission and any redress scheme could operate are not expected until the background work by officials is completed.

A spokesman for the Department of Education said an inter-department group of senior officials established by Minister for Education Norma Foley to consider the terms of reference for the Commission of Investigation and other issues was scheduled to meet next week for the first time.

“Given the complexities of the issues, the size of the report and the number of recommendations, this group will need some time to consider all relevant matters and will advise the Minister for Education on these issues in due course”, the spokesman said.

Ms Foley has said she wants the process to be completed as soon as possible but it remains to be seen whether the Government will be in a position to take decisions on the commission and any possible redress scheme before a general election.

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The total value of assets held by Catholic dioceses and religious congregations is not known. A study commissioned by the then government in 2009 after the Ryan report on child abuse, which looked at 18 congregations, found that collectively they had about €3.7 billion in assets.

However, any similar examination of the finances of congregations that were involved in education and where there were allegations of abuse would have to be a much larger exercise.

Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman last year commissioned consultants EY to look at the resources of congregations in the operation of mother-and-baby homes. A spokesman said on Friday that this was still ongoing.

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Information submitted by some religious congregations to the Charities Regulator provides some insight into their financial resources.

Religious congregations have maintained in the past that not all of these resources are liquid assets and that some buildings are being used as schools or healthcare facilities. They have argued that some assets are “restricted” for use in particular areas; that some resources are to support missionary work abroad while funding will need to be reserved to pay for the healthcare and other needs of declining and ageing memberships.

Martin Wall

Martin Wall

Martin Wall is the former Washington Correspondent of The Irish Times. He was previously industry correspondent