As many as 24 of Ireland's 26 Catholic dioceses may have taken out insurance cover against possible claims arising from clerical child sex abuse between 1987 and 1990, it has emerged.
Meanwhile a spokesman for the Dublin archdiocese confirmed last night that its cover against claims arising from clerical child sex abuse had been arranged in 1987. This was done before the appointment of Cardinal Desmond Connell as Archbishop in 1988, and after the death of the former archbishop, Dr Kevin McNamara.
It was also made clear by a spokesman for the Church and General Insurance company it had had no role to play in the preparation of the church's guidelines for dealing with clerical child sex abuse, published in 1996.
Since 1996 most Irish Catholic dioceses have been insured with the company against possible claims for abuse which may have taken place since then. However, the insurance company spokesman did acknowledge that the introduction of the 1996 guidelines, and the guidelines themselves, would have been taken into account by the company when it came to agreeing cover with each dioeceses for the post-1996 period.
Attention has also drawn by sources to a statement by Cardinal Connell, in a letter read at all Masses in Dublin on October 6th last before the broadcasting of RTÉ's Prime Time "Cardinal Secrets" programme. It was reported that "in 1995, diocesan files [in Dublin] going back 50 years were examined, and the names of 17 priests were passed to gardaí. In 1996 a diocesan advisory panel was set up in line with the Irish bishops' guidelines of January 1996 and he [the Cardinal] had recently set up a Child Protection Office."
This, it has been pointed out, was the very period during which, according to the bishops' statement on Tuesday, they were having "serious legal issues" with Church and General "regarding the entitlement of dioceses to indemnity, in respect of civil claims arising from clerical child sexual abuse, under the policies of insurance then in place".
It is understood the insurance company had become anxious about the extent of its exposure to risk where claims arising out of clerical child sex abuse in the dioceses was concerned and had sought further information and revised arrangements with the dioceses.
Last night also it was confirmed that the former minister for education and science, Dr Michael Woods, had no knowledge of the bishops' insurance cover arrangements where clerical child sex abuse was concerned.
On June 5th last Dr Woods concluded the controversial €128 million deal with 18 religious orders under which they were indemnified against any claims by victims of abuse in residential institutions run by the religious.
A spokeswoman for the Department said the indemnity deal was only with the religious orders and related specifically to children abused while in institutional care, for which the dioceses had no responsibility.