The Bishop of Cork and Ross has said that over the past five years the diocese has contributed around €500,000 to a trust which pays compensation to victims of clerical sex abuse.
Dr John Buckley was addressing priests of the diocese at meetings in Cork.
The bishops' conference, which is holding its spring meeting in Maynooth this week, is discussing the Bishops' Stewardship Trust.
This is a fund to which all dioceses have to contribute for compensation for victims of sexual abuse by diocesan priests, and for the funding of the bishops' child protection services.
Bishop Buckley also told priests that since 1990, €560,000, or roughly €40,000 per year, has been paid out by the diocese for therapy and care for priests with health problems.
These have included priests who have been accused of sexual abuse, as well as priests with other health problems.
The money paid out by the Cork Diocese to the Stewardship Trust, and to provide care and counselling for priests with health problems, comes to a total of around €1 million.
Bishop Buckley insists that this money came predominantly from funds at his disposal for the care of priests, and not from contributions to church collections.
However, this source of income is believed to be drying up, and a decision will have to be made about how to pay for counselling and compensation for clerical sex abuse in the future.
