The administrator of St Eugene's Cathedral in Derry yesterday asked Mass-goers to participate in a confidential survey in a bid to determine their views on how the parish should pay £40,000 to the victims of clerical sex abuse.
Fr Michael Canny said the survey would be conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Ulster, whom he believed would ensure both professionalism and independence in terms of the consultation process.
Earlier this year Bishop of Derry Dr Séamus Hegarty said the Derry diocese was committed to paying £1 million over a five-year period to the stewardship trust fund, which was set up by the Catholic Church in Ireland to pay compensation to people who were sexually abused by priests.
Fr Canny said his parish's commitment to the fund was £8,000 a year for five years. "This confidential survey is being conducted at my request by the University of Ulster... I believe that an extensive and independent consultation process is necessary due to the sensitivities surrounding the topic."