Labour TD for Dublin Bay North, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, has stated that
the Catholic Church cannot credibly say that it has sympathy and
compassion for those pregnant as a result of rape, while it still has
not paid the state the €380 million it owes to help compensate victims
of child rape, sexual assault and physical abuse.
He said: "At the Oireachtas Health Committee hearings into
the judgement of the European Court of Human Rights in the ABC case,
Bishop Christopher Jones and Fr Tim Barlett both stated that in the case
of a pregnancy caused through rape, agents of the Church would first
and foremost show the utmost compassion for those who find themselves in
that tragic situation. Bishop Jones also stated that rapists should be
brought to justice."
"The
Catholic Church has absolutely no credibility in this regard, given
that approximately €380 million is still owed to the State as part of
the agreement reached with the Irish government in 2002. This money is
required to compensate the victims of rape and sexual assault, which the
Catholic Church now states it has sympathy and compassion for."