On January 25, 2005, Lee Hochberg of Oregon Public Broadcasting looked at the growing number of Catholic parishes seeking bankruptcy protection, following the Church’s sexual scandals, and filed this report:

Spokane is the third Catholic diocese, after Portland, Oregon, and Tucson, Arizona, to go bankrupt in the face of increasing child sex abuse claims. There are 100,000 Catholics around Spokane; 58 of them have sued the Church. Half of those say they were molested in the 1970s and ‘80s by Father Patrick O’Donnell, who has admitted to some of the crimes.

The bishop of the diocese, William Skylstad, has testified he knew of O’Donnell’s crimes but didn’t report them to police. Instead, he transferred O’Donnell to other parishes where he continued to molest. On Dec. 6, Skylstad took the Spokane diocese into the shelter of chapter 11.

The diocese reports a staggering $76 million in liabilities from abuse claims, and more claimants could come forward. The Church says it has only $11 million in assets. Church Attorney Shaun Cross says $76 million is more than the Church should pay.

Hochberg quotes him as saying: “I don’t think it’s a reasonable number. You have a whole range and spectrum of factual circumstances. From extremely egregious situations that were clearly going to merit higher damages to situations that really weren’t serious at all. I mean, at all.”

Hochberg states that many parishioners agree. Some have turned against the victims. One woman asked the victims who were protesting: “Why don’t you go to the house of charity where all the poor people are getting a free meal to eat and are sleeping in the beds at night because of our money? I think it’s wrong for a priest to hurt a child, but I don’t think it’s right to flock the holy Catholic Church.”

It is one thing for a victim to ask for just compensation; i.e., financial aid for psychological help for him/her, and the family, possible special education, and a financial settlement for pain and suffering, within reason. It is quite another to demand millions of dollars that cross over to victimizing Catholics who are trying to keep their parishes together. When just compensation becomes the perpetration of vengeance, everyone loses. And when the members of the hierarchy appear to be losing their sense of Christian humanity, the game is over.

Hochberg offers the following for our consideration: (I have shifted back and forth a dozen times, but finally decided to include it, with the warning that if you are having a difficult day, you would do well to skip this part.)

Michael Corrigan, brother of the abuse victim, told of Cheryl Corrigan’s husband, who committed suicide two years ago. Cheryl had asked her husband that morning about the abuse scandal reported that day in Spokane’s newspaper.

“Were you abused?”

He said, “No.”

And I said, “Well, wait a minute. Did Father Pat get you naked?

Did you have to get naked in front of Father Pat?”

And he said, “Yes.”

And I asked, “Well, did Father Pat touch you in your privates?”

He said, “Yes.”

And he walked away from me. And then he gave me a big hug and a kiss and walked out the door and went to work.

Hochberg concluded the story: “Later that day, her husband lay down on this railroad track, leaving behind Cheryl and their three children. The Corrigans say they never received a sympathy card from the bishop. The bankruptcy was declared just before their court date.”

The bishop didn’t send a card. Didn’t go to visit the widow. Didn’t offer the Mass. Didn’t act like Christ. All because of fear of the lawsuit?

If Rome didn’t have the sensibility to ask for the bishop’s resignation in the face of such indifference and cowardice, Bishop Skylstad should have tendered his resignation, for no longer possessing a shepherd’s heart for the flock of Christ.

Since the major responsibility for the Church’s debts flowing from the sex abuse cases rests squarely on the shoulders of those in the Vatican, who refused to act swiftly in the interest of compassion and justice for the victims, it would be only right for them to gather up its pagan art (and religious art, if necessary) from the Vatican itself, and from its museums beyond Rome, hold an auction in St. Peter’s Square, and give the proceeds to set the bankruptcies aside and justly compensate the victims. We will never be considered a Christian Church in our own eyes or in the eyes of the world until we correct the grave injustices done against the most vulnerable among us.

No amount of incense, Holy Hours, retreats for the faithful, or flowery words of devotion, will bridge the gap between the way things are and the way they ought to be. Nor will bankruptcies ever erase in Christ’s eyes or ours, what is owed to the victims and their heartbroken families.

Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
Show us the way, Lord.
Give us wisdom to know what is right, and the humility, love and courage to follow Calvary’s path with You.
Amen. Amen.

Home

Archives