'No market' for sale of Diocesan property
CHURCH RUNNING OUT OF OPTIONS
The Bishop's Palace (above) and St. Peter's Seminary are among five Wexford properties owned by the Diocese.
LOCAL auctioneers say selling off Diocesan properties to pay sex abuse settlements and meet legal bills is not realistic, as the Diocese has 'missed the boat' on a sinking property market.
In a letter to the parishes at the weekend, Bishop Denis Brennan cited the sale of 'one or more of the five diocesan properties to meet all of the costs of outstanding claims and legal bills' as one of the options the Diocese has to meet its financial responsibilities to abuse victims.
But auctioneers say the property market crash has made them unsaleable.
'You'd never be able to sell the Bishop's Palace in the current market. If they came into me and put it on my books I don't think I'd have one client who would be able to buy it,' said one auctioneer .
- Anne Marie O'CONNOR
