The Bishop of Killaloe has reportedly raised the prospect of asking parishioners to help pay compensation and legal bills arising out of Clerical Child abuse.
The suggestion was first raised by the Bishop of Ferns Denis Brennan who provoked outrage among abuse victims yesterday by his appeal for parishioners to pay €60,000 a year between them for 20 years towards compensation bills.
Last night, a spokesman for Bishop of Killaloe Willie Walsh said he would consider following the controversial lead of Bishop Brennan, should it become necessary.
They added that Bishop Walsh would be prepared to consider such an option in the diocese in consultation with parish pastoral councils and finance committees if it became necessary.
To date, the bill faced by the Diocese of Killaloe is just a fraction of that for Ferns, with the cost of compensating victims of past sexual abuse reaching €1.8m to the end of 2008.
Those costs were partly funded by €1.5m raised through the sale of six acres of land at the Bishop’s Ennis residence in 2001.
