Cardinal Dolan Faces Questions about Handling of Accused Priests in Milwaukee

By Maura Grunlund
Staten Island Advance
May 30, 2012

http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/05/cardinal_dolan_faces_more_ques.html

A victims' group claims that Cardinal Timothy Dolan helped devise a plan to pay accused child-molester priests to quietly leave the priesthood. Dolan's office has not responded to requests for comment from the Advance.

[with pdf]

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests is accusing New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan of being part of a plan to "pay off" accused child-molester priests to quietly leave the priesthood and cheat victims out of appropriate compensation.

A spokesman for Cardinal Dolan has not returned a request for comment by the Advance.

SNAP members who are making an announcement today in Milwaukee are citing the minutes from a March 2003 Milwaukee Archdiocese Finance council meeting (see PDF document below), when Cardinal Dolan was archbishop of that diocese. The minutes show that there was a discussion about "unassignable priests" receiving full salary.

It was proposed at the meeting to reduce their benefit to $1,250 per month, the same as their pension benefit, and to offer to pay them $20,000 for laicization -- leaving the priesthood. The payouts were to be $10,000 at the beginning of the process and $10,000 at completion, independent of the cleric's salary, pension and benefits. SNAP alleges that the plan was accepted and implemented based on what it claims were payments to accused members of the clergy.

Minutes from the meeting, which indicate Cardinal Dolan was present with other church leaders, were included in a filing in Federal Bankruptcy Court.

During the meeting, there was also a discussion about paying victims of priests $30,000 each through a restorative justice program to avoid anticipated settlements the archdiocese would likely face if victims were allowed to file cases in civil courts, SNAP said, citing the meeting minutes obtained through court documents. The minutes refer to "a process done without an attorney for either side" but also asserts that the archdiocese provided care for victims that went "beyond the law," even if victims were unable to take legal action.

In anticipation of possible legal action that could be crippling to the archdiocese, however, the minutes state: "Currently, we are working on setting up a Trust Fund to shelter the Parish Deposit Fund."

SNAP members allege that testimony and records in the current bankruptcy case indicate that Cardinal Dolan deliberately mislead victims about the church's prior knowledge of abusive priests.