Seanad debates
Wednesday, 8 October 2003
Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse: Statements (Resumed).
I welcome the idea that the religious orders might again be examining their assets to see if there is anything more they can do. With the way property values have gone, particularly in the Dublin area, there is no doubt that in some instances the religious orders may be sitting on much more valuable assets than would have been the case even a few years ago. If we try to adopt a coercive approach, it will fail and we will be further back. I understand that to a degree this has happened in Canada, where religious orders were bankrupted and the State had to acquire, at vast cost, institutions that had been run by the Catholic Church. The taxpayer would be no better off in such an event.
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