CHILD ABUSE REPORT:THE CATHOLIC primate, Cardinal Seán Brady, last night welcomed a statement from the Christian Brothers' congregation, promising to commit "substantial resources'' to former residents of institutions managed by them, and to present and future generations of their children, writes PATSY McGARRYReligious Affairs Correspondent
On Monday, Cardinal Brady said all 18 religious congregations involved in managing institutions investigated by the Ryan commission should revisit the 2002 redress deal agreed with the State and that all of them should contribute more.
In their statement yesterday, the Brothers said that “as a congregation, we recognise and accept our culpability along with our moral obligation to former residents, to present and future generations of children and to society as a whole”.
They said that “in consultation with former residents and other stakeholders, including Government”, they would review “how our resources can best be applied in reparation for abuses of the past and as an investment in child education and welfare for present and future generations”.
This review process would extend “to all of our resources above and beyond such accommodation and means necessary to maintain the members of our congregation and to support selected commitments at home and overseas”, they said.
Asking for space to address these matters properly, they said that “the extent of dramatic change anticipated by the Christian Brothers will require some little time to consider. The congregation does not want to compromise services currently provided or supported by us.”
They also committed themselves to reflect on “how our congregation, established to cherish and protect children, so lost its way and failed in its most basic duty of care to children”.
The statement by the Christian Brothers was a solo run, but it is believed all 18 congregations will meet on Friday, when they will discuss how best to help “those who suffered enormously while in our care”, as they put it in a brief statement following their meeting last Monday.
However, it is understood that intense discussions are currently taking place within each congregation as to how best each might do this in its own circumstances.
Yesterday’s Christian Brothers’ statement was prepared with the Murray Consultants public relations firm, which also assisted in the preparation of the Brothers’ statement last Wednesday, following publication of the Ryan report. The Christian Brothers are not the only ones among the congregations to use public relations consultants in recent times.
Publicity for the Oblates congregation, which managed St Conleth’s reformatory at Daingean in Co Offaly, is managed by John Gallagher Consulting.
That firm also handled publicity for the congregation during public hearings of the Ryan commission.
Publicity for the Sisters of Mercy continues to be handled by Young Communications, which has been doing so for the congregation since the mid-1990s.
The same firm has also been handling publicity for the Conference of Religious of Ireland (Cori) in recent days, and for the many smaller congregations which are numbered among the 18 who managed institutions investigated by the Ryan commission.
The Government’s indemnity relates only to Catholic institutions. It refused in 2005 to extend an indemnity to Protestant homes, where there had also been allegations of abuse, due to the low contribution promised to the State redress scheme in return for such an indemnity.
A 2005 request by the Dublin-based Protestant Smyly Trust for an indemnity similar to that given to Catholic religious congregations in 2002 was rejected because the trust offered to make a contribution in the region of €100,000 in return.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Education at the time said that the amount “was not considered appropriate”.
All four homes run by the Smyly Trust were covered under the State redress scheme, in light of allegations of serious physical and sexual abuse dating back to the 1960s and 1970s.
Serious allegations were made by former residents of Racefield House in Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin, and the Boys Home on Upper Grand Canal Street in Dublin, although nobody has been convicted in connection with abuses taking place at either institution.