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Irish Times
17-06-2025
- Irish Times
Spiritans' promise of redress must be ‘substantiated by actions', says abuse survivors group
Redress proposals for abuse survivors by the Spiritan congregation, which runs Blackrock College and other leading schools in Ireland , 'urgently needs to be substantiated by actions', survivors' group Restore Together has said. It represents people who were sexually abused at Spiritan-run schools. Group spokesman Philip Feddis said 'urgent delivery of a victim-centred, non-adversarial redress scheme is critical'. Ongoing delays on the order's part are 'undermining the benefits of what has been delivered to date', he said. READ MORE His comments follow a public commitment by Spiritan Provincial Fr Brendan Carr to pay redress to survivors of abuse in the schools. By last November, 359 survivors of abuse at Spiritan schools had come forward, including the 347 disclosed in the scoping inquiry report on abuse at private fee-paying schools published last September. In an open letter on Monday to survivors of abuse by members and employees of the Spiritans , Fr Carr announced 'a restorative framework which we hope can help all to arrive at a different place in this painful and difficult journey'. This, he said, was prepared 'with the help of Restore Together, One Voice, and other significant advocates and individuals who were abused in our schools and other contexts, who have engaged directly with us'. Fr Carr said the Spiritans have established a 'finance advisory team, with the expertise to lead a strategic restructuring of the Province's assets'. It would 'fast-track the development of sustainable funding streams, including immediate and medium-term provisions for redress'. He hoped that by the end of this summer he could 'provide a further, more detailed update of the progress we are making in forging new paths to create a just redress scheme'. In response, Mr Feddis said 'victims/survivors will judge the statement based on actions and how soon they receive restorative justice in its entirety'. He stated that a redress scheme is the 'most urgent and important element'. Delivery of a full restorative justice programme by the Spiritans is 'already long overdue', Mr Feddis added. The order's 'ongoing delays' undermine what has been delivered to date – an apology and therapy – and 'diminishes the potential for restorative justice to have full effect for victims/ survivors', he said. Victims and survivors must have 'active decision-making input' in determining what is best for their healing, Mr Feddis said, adding that 'justice delayed is justice denied, and that is where we are at'. He said Restore Together will work intensively with the Spiritans to address how the three inactivated elements of the programme can be 'enabled as soon as humanly possible'.
RTÉ News
16-06-2025
- General
- RTÉ News
Spiritans commit to redress scheme details this summer
The Spiritans religious order has said it hopes to provide further details on a redress scheme for victims and survivors of abuse at its schools by the end of the summer. Earlier this year, advocacy group Restore Together called on the Spiritans to implement a redress scheme no later than June for those who suffered child sex abuse. Restore Together represents many of the survivors of child sex abuse suffered at schools run by the Spiritan Order, including Blackrock College. In today's open letter, leader of the Catholic order in Ireland Fr Brendan Carr said the process to set up a redress scheme has been slow. "It has been very frustrating for victims/survivors, and their advocates, who have shown immeasurable patience, and it is important to acknowledge that it is the cooperation and commitment of such advocates that has guided and shaped a 'victim-centred' restorative process, including a just formula for redress to those waiting," he said. Fr Carr said finding the funds for the scheme is the main reason for the delay and structures have been set up to address the issue. "The Province has accelerated our efforts by establishing a dedicated financial taskforce, the Finance Advisory Team, with the expertise to lead a strategic restructuring of the Province's assets. "This taskforce is working to fast-track the development of sustainable funding streams, including immediate and medium-term provisions for redress," he said. The group has welcomed Fr Carr's letter and called it a step in the right direction. However, it added it would like to see "more urgency". The letter also reminded victims that free counselling can be accessed through their safeguarding office.
Irish Times
16-06-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Spiritans commit to redress scheme for school abuse survivors in attempt to ‘offer atonement'
The head of the religious congregation behind Blackrock College and other prominent schools has made a public commitment to paying redress to survivors of abuse in the schools. In an open letter to survivors of abuse by members and employees of the Spiritan congregation, Provincial Fr Brendan Carr announced 'a restorative framework which we hope can help all to arrive at a different place in this painful and difficult journey'. This, he said, was prepared 'with the help of Restore Together, One Voice, and other significant advocates and individuals who were abused in our schools and other contexts, who have engaged directly with us'. It 'acknowledges the abuses, failures and omissions of the past, refocuses on the present needs of those who suffered and those carrying pain and allows all to look to and find peace and a different and better future where humanly possible'. READ MORE The Spiritans, he said, had established a 'finance advisory team, with the expertise to lead a strategic restructuring of the Province's assets'. It would 'fast-track the development of sustainable funding streams, including immediate and medium-term provisions for redress'. By last November, 359 survivors of abuse at Spiritan schools had come forward, including the 347 disclosed in the scoping inquiry report on abuse at private fee-paying schools published last September. [ Spiritans accused of putting own interests before those of abuse victims Opens in new window ] In the past when it came to redress, Fr Carr said, the congregation 'engaged through what we understood to be the standard mechanism available – legal negotiations conducted between legal representatives for the Spiritans and the persons making the legal claims'. He acknowledged this 'was not an adequate response for those seeking safe and healing space for victims/survivors'. 'Advocates and victim-led representations have taught us that a different redress scheme was needed – one that was victim-centred, less adversarial and faster.' He added that, notwithstanding the expected Government commission of investigation into abuse in schools and its pledge of redress for survivors, 'we Spiritans believe we have a moral and collective obligation to respond to and offer atonement' to those 'whose lives were severely impacted'. The agreed framework contains four elements which, as well as redress, offers survivors meetings with Spiritan representatives who would acknowledge what happened and apologise, as well as therapy and counselling, and a commitment to memorialise both the suffering of survivors and atonement by Spiritans. [ Spiritans have paid €8.8m in settlements to 125 abuse survivors since 1998 Opens in new window ] Fr Carr said the redress scheme was 'but one part of our sincere endeavour and commitment to be accountable at this time for what happened in another time'. 'Child sexual abuse is a devastating crime. It shatters the lives of victims and causes deep and lasting harm to families and friends,' he said, adding that such abuse 'also profoundly affects school communities'. 'I want to publicly acknowledge this impact and offer apology and empathy to the current principals, staff, students and parents of Spiritan schools,' he said. 'Too often, you have found yourselves having to respond to situations in which you had no involvement and over which you had no control. I, of course, extend this apology to the volunteers and employees of SET [Spiritan Education Trust], the body that runs Spiritan schools.' It was his 'sincere hope', Fr Carr said, that by the end of the summer he could 'provide a further, more detailed update of the progress we are making in forging new paths to create a just redress scheme'.
Irish Times
07-05-2025
- Irish Times
Spiritans accused of putting own interests before those of abuse victims
The Spiritan congregation has been accused of putting its own interests, needs and concerns before survivors of abuse in schools run by them. The Restore Together advocacy group for survivors of abuse in Spiritan-run schools has said: 'Our experience is that the Spiritans have failed at every stage, from the time of the abuse onwards, to put the interests and rights of victims/survivors first. The Spiritans have invariably put their interests, needs and concerns and those of the institution first.' The accusation is in a lengthy letter written on behalf of the group by survivor Philip Feddis, who attended Blackrock College. Last month it was sent to past pupils' unions at Blackrock College, Willow Park, St Mary's College, St Michael's College and Templeogue College, all in Dublin, and Rockwell College in Co Tipperary. Easter, it said, was 'a time for Spiritan priests to reflect on the adequacy of their response to child sex abuse'. READ MORE The 'victim/survivor experience' involving Spiritans was 'not one of compassion', it said. 'Victims/survivors feel frustrated, disappointed, angry and worse. The ongoing delay in implementing the comprehensive restorative programme has increased the suffering of victims/survivors in many ways. It is not compassionate, it is cruel.' It pointed out that 'a comprehensive, victim-centred redress scheme and a testimony-gathering (truth-telling) project has still not been delivered and the Spiritans have made no commitment to a start date for either. This is completely unacceptable to victims/survivors; most of us are over 60, who have already waited far too long for justice.' [ Spiritans have paid €8.8m in settlements to 125 abuse survivors since 1998 Opens in new window ] Because of the age factor, 'urgent delivery is vital for the success of these redress and testimony programmes', the letter said. 'A constant refrain is that victims/survivors are tired. We are tired of being ignored and marginalised. We are tired of feeling betrayed and abandoned by institutions that were supposed to protect and care for us as children.' It noted how 'Restore Together recently called on the Spiritans to finalise the redress scheme without further delay and have it up and running no later than June 1st this year. The Spiritans have not responded to this call. We in Restore Together have been more than patient.' Survivors, the group said, are 'tired of having to fight and push the Spiritans every step of the way to fully and comprehensively face up to the issue of child sex abuse in their schools and `do the right thing'. We are tired of being told we will have to wait.' The 'historic power imbalance that we as victims/survivors experienced as children and which facilitated our abuse is still present and underpinning the current situation. This compounds the suffering of victims/survivors and has to be ended for once and for all. The Spiritans must take all immediate steps to bring justice to victims/survivors without having to be pushed every step of the way to do so,' it said.
