NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph
By Alf McCreary
newsdesk@belfasttelegraph.co.uk
25 February 2005
No money from parish collections in the diocese of Down and Connor have been used to fund the Catholic Church's Child Protection Policies, according to the Bishop Dr Patrick Walsh.
In a statement Dr Walsh emphasised that no parish money from collections had been given to the Irish Bishops' Stewardship Trust which was set up to meet the costs of theAbuse Tracker Child Protection Office and initiatives undertaken throughout Ireland for the response to the victims of child abuse.
According to Bishop Walsh these include "financial redress to victims of child sexual abuse by priests, and research undertaken for the College of Surgeons' Report."
He gave a "categorical assurance that in paying the contribution due from the Diocese to the Trust, there has been no money used from any parish collections, whether for the parish or for specific purposes, for example the Diocesan Care Home for the elderly at Beechmount, the missions, support for needy parishes, the education of students for the priesthood, and the care of sick and retired priests."
Posted by kshaw at February 25, 2005 09:29 AM