The director of the Justice Commission of the Conference of Religious of Ireland (CORI) Father Seán Healy has said he believes it would be beneficial if the 18 congregations who signed an indemnity deal with the State last year were to provide details of their assets in the public arena.
Speaking last night on RTE One's Question and Answers programme he said he wasn't aware whether the relevant congregations planned to do so but the exercise would illustrate whether there was anything more the congregations would be in a position to contribute to the €128 million deal agreed with the State.
Father Healy emphasied the deal was not between CORI and the State, buthads been signed by the 18 congregations on their own behalf. He pointed out that currently much of the congregations' assets were not disposable. They would include schools and hospitals, community-based programmes for people with disabilities and addiction problems, which if passed on to the State might incur it further costs. It was also the case that four out of five religious were elderly and had to be cared for by the congregations.
In the event of there being a balance left over despite those liabilities, then he felt it fair the congregations might contribute more.
The Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny, said on the same programme that if the congregations were to retain moral authority to speak on issues facing this society "they should make a better effort".
Describing the deal as "extraordinary", he felt it had been handled "appallingly badly by the Government in a secretive fashion" and had caused serious instability in the Government.
Fianna Fail senator, Mr Martin Mansergh, said the Attorney General Mr McDowell "had plenty of opportunity to have an input (to the indemnity deal) before it was signed, sealed and delivered".
