Money talks....

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York is under the microscope now after documents reveal that he authorized the "payment" of $20,000 to priests who were accused of abuse in return for them to accept laicization while he was bishop of Milwaukee.

SNAP, the organization which attempts to speak on behalf of victims of clergy sexual abuse is presenting this as a case against Cardinal Dolan.  They are calling the $20,000 a "payment," even a "bonus" for abusing minors.  This is absurd and is calumny!

What the Cardinal did was simply pressure priests accused of abuse to accept laicization.  Laicization is a long process which deals with canon lawyers and the like.  At the conclusion of the process, the Vatican makes a decision based on evidence to see if a priest should remain as such or be returned to the lay state.  In other words, laicization removes the position of priesthood from an ordained man.

A priest has rights and protection under Canon Law.  By making them part of the laity again, they lose those privileges and it will be easier to prosecute them in a civil system.  So instead of Cardinal Dolan having them under the umbrella of the Church, he offered them this stipend in order for them to leave the priesthood and at the same time live.

Remember, we are a Church.  We must do the Christian thing and not kick people into the streets to become homeless.  The amount given is not enough to live on for a year, but it is enough for a former priest to start looking for employment elsewhere and start a new life - hopefully a crime free one.

 

Source:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michele-somerville/cardinal-dolan-blackmail-for-jesus_b_1554485.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/31/us/cardinal-authorized-payments-to-abusers.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/31/cardinal-timothy-dolan-archdiocese-milwaukee-payoff-abusive-priests_n_1559298.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/31/cardinal-timothy-dolan-archdiocese-milwaukee-payoff-abusive-priests_n_1559298.html?ref=topbar

http://abcnews.go.com/US/cardinal-dolan-quiet-20k-payments-pedophile-priests/story?id=16467662#.T8haVrBYvyg