THE RELIGIOUS SISTERS of Charity order is to gift land worth €200 million to the State as it transfers ownership of the St Vincent’s Healthcare Group. 

In 2017 the order stepped down from the board of the hospital group. The move came after controversy over the religious congregation’s involvement in the new national maternity hospital, which is to move from Holles St to the same campus as St Vincent’s Hospital. 

The sisters had to get permission from the Vatican to give up its ownership of the land and at the end of last year said the transfer was “imminent”. 

In a statement today, the order said it received approval from the Holy See to transfer ownership and hopes the transfer can be concluded “without undue delays”. 

“This will enable the completion of transfer of ownership of the St Vincent’s Healthcare Group site from the congregation to a new, independent, charitable body to be called St Vincent’s Holdings CLG,” it said. 

“The new St Vincent’s Holdings CLG will continue to be a not-for-profit organisation. In the event of the new St Vincent’s Holdings CLG going into liquidation, its surplus assets will be vested with the Charity Regulator and used for future healthcare purposes with similar values, to benefit the people of Ireland.”

It said this now marks the final movement towards completion of all legal, financial and regulatory matters involved in the transfer of the sisters’ 186-year involvement in the hospital.

“We thank everyone who has supported us in recent years as we formalise the final steps towards our departure from St Vincent’s Healthcare Group and hope that the transfer can now swiftly move to completion,” said Sr Patricia Lenihan, Superior General, Religious Sisters of Charity.

“We are confident that the St Vincent’s Healthcare Group board, management and staff will continue to provide acute healthcare services that foster [the founder] Mary Aikenhead’s mission and core values of dignity, compassion, justice, equality and advocacy for all into the future.”