As abuse victims sobbed in the courtroom, a judge approved a $660 million settlement yesterday between the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles and 508 people who had filed suit over sexual abuse by clergy members.
“Settling the cases was the right thing to do,” said Judge Haley J. Fromholz of Los Angeles County Superior Court.
The settlement in the nation’s largest Roman Catholic diocese is considered a landmark because the legal battle endured for more than four years, and because the sum is more than six times larger than any previous deal struck by a diocese.
At a news conference outside the courthouse yesterday, sexual abuse victims stepped to the microphone one by one, many carrying photographs of themselves as children, and shared their feelings of betrayal by the church and in particular, the archbishop of Los Angeles, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, a fixture in Los Angeles since 1985.
“I don’t want Mahony going around saying everything is all right, because it’s not,” said Rita Milla, 45, a medical assistant who lives in Carson. “My church acted like it didn’t know what was happening.”
There is no doubt as to guilt of most the clergy and others in the RC church involved in these sex-abuse cases. From most clear indications, most of these men have homosexual tendencies, or are openly homosexual men, but that is another matter for another day.
The guilt of these abusers is clear. However, I am TOTALLY against the use of millions of dollars that faithful men and women gave/give for the work of the church going to these settlements. The Church is not a profit-making business organization; it is the mission and ministry of Our Lord. Therefore, I think what would have been in line with sound Christian approach should be the payment (to the victims) of a few thousand dollars as an acknowledgement of guilt, plus the payment of all the legal and other costs associated with the suits. That should be the right Christian thing to do in these circumstances.
As painful and as wrong as these abuses were/are, no amount of money would ever be enough to heal the wounds. BUT, through the Blood of Christ, and the Confession and Absolution of Sins, there is closure and healing that last far more than these millions of dollars WILL last in the hands of some of these victims. I am afraid (I am sure) that some of these victims are going to be further “victimized” by what these millions of dollars WILL bring to their lives. (A research of what happens to lottery winners and those who come into big bucks through some large payouts certainly make the point).
Again, before anyone starts through darts at me, let me re-state my condemnation of the evil of these sex abuses: The abuses were wrong, no questions.
Finally, some questions:
1. If the abusers of these victims were some never-do-well family members or some heartless and penniless street-men or neighbors with no million dollars in financial resources for large settlement payouts, wouldn’t the victims have gone on with their lives and some healing, some way or the other?
2. Why is it that those who are always quick at demanding and insisting that our society and the victims of murderous and other horrendous crimes MUST FORGIVE the criminals and move on are the ones who are now demanding, pressing, and receiving millions of dollars and never-ending apologies from the RC church in this matter?
I have dozens of other questions, but let’s just look at these two for the time being.
Btw, I am not a Roman Catholic. I am an Episcopal/Anglican priest of unsullied integrity and a very reverent view of the ordained ministry and of the ordination and other Christian vows.
According to what I saw on MSNBC this morning, about half of the settlement money doesn’t even belong to the RCC – it will be paid by insurance companies, who will undoubtedly spread the cost around to ordinary citizens.
The manner is which JP II, Ratzinger & many of the U.S. bishops ignored and enabled this vile abuse is sickening. From my POV, these institutions DESERVE to be bankrupted.
Re: #3,- “From my POV, these institutions DESERVE to be bankrupted.”
#3, I would certainly agree with you if these were just mere humanly instituted “institutions”.
But this is the Church (this applies to every legitimate God-honoring, Bible-believing church) that was bought by the Blood of Christ and sustained by the Blood, Sweat, Tears, and Resources of the Saints, past, present, and the future.
Not minding how much some of us dislike the Catholic Church, the facts of the sacred nature and calling of the Church remain unchanged – priestly misconducts and sinfulness in high places notwithstanding.
Is Christ better served by the bankrupting of the Catholic Church? Certainly NO!!
How much of these settlement monies WILL certainly end up being used to purchase illegal drugs, pay prostitutes, endanger the spiritual health of the receivers?
How many marriages and family life WILL certainly suffer from infidelity, abuse, dishonesty, etc. as a result of the effects and direct impacts from the windfall settlement to these abuse victims?
I am very, very sure that more spiritual, mental, social, familial and other harms are coming to most of these victims/recipients than they would ever have anticipated. Large sums of money and the bankrupting of a legitimate Christian Church is NOT the answer.
Christ IS.
Lord Have Mercy.
Spiro
bob, I hope you feel the same way about every institution that’s enabled and ignored this problem over the last 50 years, because it certainly isn’t limited to the Catholic Church.
BC#3, it is a great scandal. Many who thought they were making good judgements were not. Yet, in the face of what happened, the Church stands up. There seems to be little evidence at times that standing up and facing the wrong that one does is enough. No, money isn’t an answer but that’s the way this society works; unfortunately. Tell me that bankrupcy makes sense if a pay out doesn’t make sense. Perhaps we’d have a pilgrimage to a shrine of holiness and waiting barefoot in the snow to be received for forgiveness. The Church has made errors in judgement. Now what? Repent, return, and sin no more. A prescription we need to learn.
Whatever the amount should be, it needed to be large enough that the church cannot absorb it as simply a cost of operation. For it to have any restorative effect on the institution (and not just the victims need restoration), it must be large enough to hurt badly. It’s the only effective way to get the institution to behave differently next time.
It’s all dreadful but it is at least salutary to be reminded of the obvious truth that it isn’t only Anglicanism that makes a horrible mess of sexual matters.
We, in the Catholic Diocese of San Diego, received a soulful (heh) letter from the Diocesan office, explaining that the hierarchy had chosen the Way of Weasel (i.e., bankruptcy) so that they would not have their mission (which from the verbiage seems to be the continued construction of new schools in the more affluent areas of the county). My personal response is, pay up and shut up. As for the “mission”, the Lord will provide, no?
A lot of Catholics, this one included, believe that financial bankrupcy, coupled with cleaning out priestly and episocopal deviants, is going to leave the Catholic Church stronger and ready for renewal. I doubt that will make bob carlton happy, but, oh well…
Spiros – actually, research suggests that about a third of allegations are false (see Jenkins’ Pedophiles and Priests), but the way the bishops have set this up, it’s pretty much guilty if charged and some charges are … well, interesting. For example, one priest in our diocese was dismissed because 20 years ago, when he was 28, he kissed a 16 year old girl on a youth group campout.
RE: #s 5 and 7 –
The complaints of sexual abuse in the public schools far exceed annually the total number of allegations against priests over the past 50 years. Furthermore, teachers are routinely shuffled from district to district after minor penalties. Where’s the outrage? Ah, but more to the point, limitations on claims (at least in my state) make this a minor source of legal fees, so perhaps it’s really not that important.
These claims are made in: Charol Shakeshaft and Audrey Cohan, In loco parentis: Sexual abuse of students in schools, (What administrators should know). Report to the U.S. Department of Education, Field Initiated Grants This is published in book form now, but rather pricey.
The data is presented and the article cited [url=http://www.catholicleague.org/research/abuse_in_social_context.htm]here[/url]
[url=http://people.hofstra.edu/charol_s_shakeshaft/publications.htm]Click here to access some of Dr Shakeshaft’s publications[/url]
I would be overjoyed if the Catholic Church were stronger and ready for renewal – so many of my favorite spiritual leaders are Catholic !
Good morning Mr. Wordsmatter. Are you still speaking to me?
SExual abuse in schools: Evidence here is severely limited as to value and trustworthiness. In New England, what you have alleged is not so re: sheer numbers. But my point is this, tht teachers are far more unprotected than priests (and I have never come across schuffling sex offenders from one school to another; no school wants risks like this. Take my word for it, for I hired and fired in a Mass. high school for years. You don’t hire Typhoid Marys). Any complaint against a teacher is tantamount to conviction. And the subsequent suit is so profitable! A teacher, in this matter, is stark naked in the middle of Grand Central Station. A girl decides you’re cute and somes after school for “help.” She likes leaning over yout shoulder as you sit at your desk and resting her right breast on your shoulder. Well. You’ld be surprised how often this happens. Some men succumb after a while, alas. But if you tell her she is behaving improperly, she then goes to her parents and complains that you have propositioned her. A woman thwarted and revenge is sweet. I guarantee you, you are toast.
This latter case happens too often, and the statistics can never get such cases right. Larry
Mr. Morse –
Did you read the links I provided? They involve research data. It could, of course, be wrong, but the answer is contrary data, not anecdotes. As one who deals with child molesters (and other sex offenders) on a daily basis, I could certainly match you anecdote for anecdote. However, that doesn’t contradict research data.