This article is from page 8 of the 2005-11-01 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 8 JPG
that two fresh complaints had been made to him this year, one against a priest in Ennis and another against a priest in the ‘wider Ennis area.’ Both were relat- ing to incidents in the 1960s and both priests are now deceased.
Dr Walsh confirmed that the diocese made the most recent payment of €70,000 this year. He said that €100,000 was paid out last year, with €265,000 paid out in 2003. The money came from the proceeds of a €1.5 million land sale at his Westbourne residence in 2001.
Dr Walsh said that if the need arose, the diocese would sell off further land to make payments to victims. “We will do everything in our power to support and help victims.”
He stressed that no money towards the pay- ments had come from Sunday offerings. How- ever, in future, “1f it happens that we have to use other money to make payments, full information will be made to the people and priests”.
Dr Walsh said over the past 11 years he had re- ceived 25 complaints relating to 10 priests, who were now all deceased. The complaints date back to 1957 and all the complaints relate to incidents before he became Bishop in 1995. Multiple com- plaints were received about four priests.
“I do believe the complaints. I have no evidence of complaints coming to me which were not true,”
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Dr Walsh said he was devastated by the con- tents of the Ferns report.
‘We knew that the Ferns report was going to be quite bad news, we really had no idea that it was going to be that bad.
“There is a sense of pain and shame about the whole thing and that goes right across the priest- hood, up and down the country. I’m devastated by it and people who are suffering the real pain are the victims themselves.”
The Rape Crisis centre in the mid-west has re- ceived an increased level of calls, in the wake of the publication of the Ferns report.
“When something like this is prominent in the media, it triggers calls,” said spokeswoman Miri- am Duffy.