Some tiny little secrets Obelix en de geheimen van de Congregatie Religious orders defied government request

Catholic congregations ignored a government request to keep secret details of their offers to a fund to support survivors of clerical abuse.

The government told the 18 religious orders that it wanted to inform the survivors of institutional abuse before the offers made by the Church bodies were made public, The Sunday Business Post has learned.

The Provincial of the Dominican Order, Fr Pat Lucey, confirmed that the Department of Education wrote to the congregations last month asking them to hold off making their contributions public until victims had been consulted.

Fr Bernard Treacy, a spokesman for Lucey, said the Dominicans were ‘‘withholding details of offers out of respect for the victims and in line with the government’s request’’.

Education minister Batt O’Keeffe told the Dáil last week that his department wanted abuse survivors to be ‘‘the first to know’’ the details of the congregations’ offers.

The government told the congregations earlier this year that they would have to pay more to cover redress costs for victims of institutional abuse, which have so far exceeded €1 billion.

The request for extra funds was made after publication of the Ryan Report, which revealed widespread abuse of children in Catholic-run institutions.

So far, 15 out of the 18 religious orders have made public the amounts they have pledged to the fund, either by issuing statements or publishing their accounts and offers to the fund online.

Last week, three more congregations revealed that they planned to contribute up to €1.5 million each to the trust that is being set up. The Order of St John Of God has pledged to contribute €1 million to the trust.

The order informed the state that its most significant assets were land and buildings worth €465.7 million, of which €464.2 million are in use providing services to clients with mental health issues or intellectual disabilities.

The Daughters of the Heart of Mary have pledged to contribute €1.5 million, according to the order’s provincial, Sister Mary Brogan, who said that the congregation would make its assets and liabilities public later.

A spokesman for the Congregation of Our Lady of Sisters of Charity said that the order would be contributing €1.5 million.

The order is also offering to transfer a ‘‘significant property of 280 square meters in size’’ to the Health Service Executive as part of the process.

The spokesman did not have details of the congregation’s declaration of assets and liabilities, he said. The Sisters of Mercy last week pledged to contribute €20 million in cash, and properties valued at €107.5 million, while the Brothers of Charity said they would pay €1.5 million to the trust fund. Two congregations, the Rosminians and the Good Shepherd Sisters, have said they are unable to contribute.

The three congregations that have not disclosed their proposed contributions to the trust are the Dominicans, the Nazareth Sisters and the St Clare Sisters.