Gilmore Cowen Should Invite Church Leaders to New Talks, Ireland Online, May 25, 2009

Gilmore: Cowen Should Invite Church Leaders to New Talks

Ireland Online
May 25, 2009

http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/ireland/gilmore-cowen-should-invite-church-leaders-to-new-talks-412225.html

Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore has called on the Taoiseach to make the first step in seeking a renegotiation of the controversial indemnity deal agreed with religious orders.

The Government and the Catholic Church are coming under intense pressure to revisit the deal following the publication last week of the Child Abuse Commission's final report.

Under the 2002 agreement, the religious orders vowed to hand over €127m worth of property to the State in order to be indemnified from compensation pay-outs which now look set to reach around €1.3bn.

Several government ministers have said it would be legally difficult to renegotiate the deal.

However, a number of senior church figures have suggested that the religious orders should be prepared to give more.

Mr Gilmore says the Taoiseach should now make the first move and invite church leaders into fresh negotiations.