Four years before the Archdiocese of Milwaukee filed for bankruptcy, then-Archbishop Timothy Dolan — now cardinal of New York — sought Vatican approval to move nearly $57 million in cemetery funds off the archdiocese’s books and into a special trust to help protect them “from any legal claim or liability.”
Yesterday now-Cardinal Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York wrote a blog entry attempting to explain his attempts to shield the nearly $57 million from sex abuse claims.
Unfortunately, we have already seen how the release of these documents will cause some to raise old and discredited attacks – like priest-abusers having been “paid” to apply for laicization, (like it or not, bishops do have a canon law obligation to provide basic support like health care and room and board for their priests until they have finally moved on) or that establishing a perpetual care fund from money belonging to cemeteries and designated for that purpose – as required by state law and mandated by the archdiocesan finance council – was an attempt to shield it from the bankruptcy proceedings.
Considering the lengths the Archdiocese of Milwaukee went to to protect/hide/enable pedophile priests for decades, I’ll take Cardinal Dolan’s explanation for moving nearly $57 million of the Archdiocese’s money to a trust that couldn’t be affected by sex abuse claims with a large grain of salt.
One of the most requirements of canon law is that a Bishop “protect his flock.”
For at least the last 50 years, driven by the self-imposed priest shortage, the Roman Catholic Church has transferred known child molesters to unsuspecting parishes. This effectively gave them a whole new set of victims.
If there is a hell, I can’t imagine these Bishops and Cardinals escaping it.
Have you seen HBO’s “Mea Maxima Culpa- Sex, Lies and The Catholic Church”?
It will make your blood run cold, it is so horrific.
Unfortunately I haven’t, but I’ll have to make a point to see it.
My family history over the last century was affected in so many ways by the Evil Empire of the Catholic Church. The present day scandal of so many Catholic priests being sexual predators, the criminal cover-up of those crimes, and all the attempts by the church to persecute the victims are just a continuation of centuries of crime. Spreading myth, superstition and fear are its tactics to satisfy its greed for power and wealth. Accumulation of enormous Catholic Church wealth by continuous extracting from its poor believers have enriched the Vatican Empire and the Vatican Bank. That bank is also now in the news, again, for its fraud and deception. Yet too many people still believe and support this Evil Empire. What happened to the Enlightenment?
So if your wealthy grand parent moved his money into a safe trust fund to prevent liability you would consider his motive to be spurious and not to safeguard your legacy?
That depends on if my wealthy grand parent were doing that as the result of inflicting terrible sexual and emotional damage upon children for decades or not I guess.
Cat Kin, what legacy is the Milwaukee Archdiocese safeguarding by attempting to shield $57 from claims made by victims of sexual abuse?
Sorry Zach, I’m not getting emails on responses to my posts and I apologize for tardiness. I’m sorry but I spent 16 years of my life being taught by priests and religious. I received my share of punishments but also a lot of special attention as the schools could not afford art and music classes but encouraged me with many extracurricular activities. I was an altar boy and learned the latin mass. As A scout and scouter I earned both eagle and ad altare dei awards working with appointed priests, nuns and brothers in our diocese. In all of those 16 years I was never accosted by a single religious and never knew anything but concern for and interest in my activities. During this same time I was accosted as were many of my friends by random drivers along the Parkway to and from school, and by an ex marine in my scout troop. My teachers and parish priests were the best people I have ever known or ever will know. I only wish I could have lived up to their example.