Time To End Church Control of Schools, Hospitals and Social Services

national | miscellaneous | press release Thursday May 28, 2009 15:41 by PBPA - People Before Profit Alliance info at peoplebeforeprofit dot ie 0876775468

State Must Take Action To Recover Taxpayers Monies Paid To Religious Orders

The People Before Profit Alliance has today called on the eighteen religious orders identified by the Ryan Report as culpable of gross maltreatment of children to fully acknowledge their guilt and responsibility. A spokesperson for PBPA said, "We are profoundly shocked by the behaviour of the religious orders, who are now further compounding the abuse they perpetrated by their brazen refusal to re-open a deal which they negotiated in bad faith."

The spokesperson continued: "The courage shown by so many victims who fought for years to have this scandal exposed is in sharp contrast to the cowardice of the religious orders. While some religious orders have been shamed by public opinion into announcing that they will make voluntary donations to the state or to those they have indelibly harmed, this is not an honourable or adequate response. These offers to pay should be viewed in the light of the past behaviours of the religious actions and must be seen as nothing more than a publicity stunt.

Given that the state paid capitation grants to the religious orders for looking after children in their care and the abject failure of the orders to care for these children as they were contracted to do, we call on the Government to take the necessary steps to recover these monies through legal and fiscal means. Such monies should be used to provide the supports necessary for abuse survivors.

The religious orders ran a "For Profit" child abuse system which violates the aims and mission set out in their charters. They have long since lost the right to be seen as charities. They should be treated in precisely the same manner as any other profit-making business and taxed accordingly."

People Before Profit salutes the courage of all those who spoke out for so long about their terrible experiences, and the scandalous behaviour by the religious orders in whose care they were placed. The courage that this took in the face of the denial by the state and religious orders is quite simply extraordinary. The victims deserve our admiration and support. Even more so, they deserve to see that justice
is done, and that those who perpetrated such shocking cruelties are brought to book.

Given the outrageous behaviour of the religious orders it is now time to ensure that church control of our schools, hospital and social services is finally broken. The taxpayer has paid for the development of services, which remain in control of the church. The state should now take the necessary steps to bring these services under public control. It should immediately end all subsidies to private schools and hospitals run by religious orders.

People Before Profit is committed to the democratic control of all public services , which should cater for all sections of society regardless of religious beliefs or ability to pay.

For more information contact Eddie Conlon 087 6775468