Religious congregations and dioceses in Ireland have spent "in excess of £1.25 million" since 1997 on providing the independent confidential helpline Faoiseamh and on counselling for victims of abuse.
In a statement last night Sister Elizabeth Maxwell, secretary general of the Conference of Religious of Ireland (CORI), said 1,118 people, one third of them in Britain, had "entered into the healing process with accredited counsellors, free of charge."
Referring to the recent announcement by the Minister for Education, Dr Woods, that the Government was setting up a compensation awarding body for victims of abuse, Sister Maxwell welcomed it as "one further healing initiative".
She repeated CORI's willingness to become involved in principle with the Government in setting up and implementing the proposed scheme.
The Government initiative was also welcomed by the Catholic bishops at their autumn meeting this month. Their spokesman, Father Martin Clarke, noted that the Catholic Primate, Dr Sean Brady, had said some time ago that the church would meet its responsibilities when it came to such compensation.
CORI "awaits details of the Government scheme for compensation" announced by Dr Woods, Sister Maxwell said.
