A firm of solicitors is seeking compensation from the Catholic hierarchy on behalf of women who were allegedly "taken advantage of" by priests who breached their vow of celibacy in recent decades.
The solicitors, who are known to The Irish Times but wish to remain anonymous, have placed an advertisement in this newspaper today asking women from the Co Wexford area who felt they had been exploited to come forward.
A test case is being prepared for the High Court iwhich it will be argued that "hurt, damage or harm" had been caused to a woman in the Diocese of Ferns through an alleged sexual relationship she had with a local priest.
The diocese is the subject of a separate inquiry into allegations of clerical child sex abuse, which is due to report shortly to the Department of Health.
The solicitors, who are concentrating their inquiries in the Co Wexford area, believe a case against the hierarchy can be made particularly on behalf of housekeepers, teachers, pupils, or lay workers in the diocese who may have been "taken advantage of" by clergy.
The solicitors draw parallels with litigation against employers or managers who use their position of power to exploit subordinates in the workplace.
