BishopAccountability.org
	Romney Backs Church Disclosure Vows to Consider Controversial Bill By Frank Phillips Boston Globe [Boston MA] August 9, 2005 Governor Mitt Romney promised yesterday to give close consideration to a controversial bill that would require the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston and other churches in Massachusetts to make their financial statements public. During a press conference, Romney stopped short of endorsing the bill, but called it a "very important area of inquiry." Romney's comments, coming before a legislative hearing on the measure tomorrow, could boost its chances of passage. Romney said that he strongly believes that nonprofit organizations should be required to disclose their assets and financial details and indicated he was open to arguments that religious organizations should be subject to the same requirements as charities overseen by the attorney general's office. "Clearly, nonprofit organizations should be subject to a level of disclosure which is consistent with the tax treatment they receive," Romney said. He said the filings, made to the attorney general's office, allow the public to "make sure that money is being properly spent." "It is certainly a very important area of inquiry," Romney said of the legislation proposed by state Senator Marian Walsh and 32 other cosponsors. The governor, a former leader in the Mormon Church, said he would give the proposal close scrutiny. "I will make that assessment," he said, adding that he is not "sufficiently familiar" with the proposal. "It deserves an answer, and I will provide that answer following that review." Because the governor rarely comments on legislation before it reaches his desk, Romney's statement caught supporters of the bill by surprise. "That is very encouraging," said Walsh, Democrat of West Roxbury. "To have an open mind is great. This is how we solve problems." The bill is opposed by the Archdiocese of Boston and major Protestant denominations in Massachusetts, which contend that the legislation, if enacted, would violate the separation of church and state. The proposal is driven in large part by lawmakers' frustrations with the Catholic Church, which has for several years been dealing with the fallout from the clergy sexual abuse crisis and now faces protests over church and school closings. Many see the Walsh bill as a test of how much clout the archdiocese retains among the state's political establishment. Romney -- appearing tanned and relaxed after a two-week vacation at his home on Lake Winnipesaukee, N.H., -- also said that he talked with his family about his political future, but he declined to say if he had reached any conclusions about his potential presidential bid. He said that he held a "family council" to talk about a "wide variety of topics." "We all get together and talk about what's going on in each other's lives and talk about the changes in careers of my various sons, talk about my political fortunes, or lack thereof, as the case might be," said Romney, who has said he will make his decision known in the early fall. "And we talk about all sorts of those things," he said. "But they are very private conversations, and I have nothing to report on them."