CONVICTED sex abuse priests are still receiving church support through several funds, the commission has found. Money paid to sex abuse priests for treatment and compensation for victims also came from a range of Church funds, including those for the poor, the education of priests and for ill clergy.
The Murphy report found in the majority of cases, individual priests had no assets to meet victims’ claims.
Up to €10 million has been paid to 77 victims abused by 16 priests, and for legal costs, figures up until July 2008 show.
However, a number of clerical sex abusers are still receiving Church funds.
Three sex abuse priests who left the priesthood received lump sums from the general income of priests, or the Common Fund.
Priests accused of sex abuse also received support money from funds for ill or retired priests from the Clerical Fund Society.
This same fund also paid for the treatment of five accused priests and three convicted priests. Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has asked that this grant be reviewed.
The Curial Trust, partly paid for by charitable donations and archbishop funds, was also used to loan Fr Ivan Payne funds to pay his victim compensation in 1993.
The Murphy report notes two convicted clerical sex abusers are still being supported by the fund.
A fund for the relief of the poor in the Dublin diocese, known as the Poor of Dublin Fund, also provided an income for Fr Payne when he was stripped of his priesthood in 2004.
The Post-Graduate Fund, used to help educate priests, also funded 10 sex abuse priests examined by the commission. The highest grant received was €18,000, but most grants ranged from €1,000 to €3,000.
The commission notes that legal fees were paid on behalf of 16 diocesan priests by the Archdiocese, costing over €77,000 by July 2008.
The Archdiocese spent €564,000 on the treatment of priests, with the largest amount of €85,000 spent on one priest.
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