Improved Protection

By Kristine Ward
National Survivor Advocates Coalition
July 2, 2013

http://nationalsurvivoradvocatescoalition.wordpress.com/

[the documents - Jeff Anderson & Associates]

[the documents - Milwaukee archdiocese]

EDITORIAL

Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s letter to the Vatican asking permission to transfer $57 million from the cemetery fund to a trust fund as the archdiocese moved toward filing for bankruptcy included the then Archbishop Dolan persuasive phrase for his request, “By transferring these assets to the Trust, I foresee an improved protection of these funds from any legal claim and liability.” Within a month the Vatican agreed.

As late into the crisis as 2007 when the letter was written Dolan assumed the letter would never be read beyond the chancery building and the stone castle walls of the Vatican.

Seems dead men can indeed tell tales when there is persistent, courageous and dedicated work by sexual abuse victims to get to the truth. SNAP leaders in Milwaukee, Peter Isley and John Pilmaier who have worked diligently on this issue cannot be over commended for their dedication, persistence and courage.

The truth is in the documents.

Catholics should be howling like stuck pigs to have all, all, all documents regarding the crisis in every diocese and in the Vatican released forthwith.

That would be immediately.

That would provide a foundation for the resurrection of moral credibility for the Church.

That would honor survivors.

That would match up the lip service to reality.

That would shock the people in the pews as current Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki forewarned the Catholics in his pews this weekend before the document release.

But  honestly wouldn’t the shock, the truth, and the path to a real new beginning and the protection of children and care for survivors be the right approach and the highest good rather than the drip, drip, drip of payments to attorneys to attempt to shield the documents from release, the public relations people hired to cast the survivors as never satisfied money grubbing dogs with bones and grudges, and the false face approach that cardinals, archbishops and bishops and chancery staffs continue to don to trumpet that the crisis is history a product of long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away.

We bet you can remember 2007 and what your attitude and approach and highest values were and even what you did to advance your career path. Cardinal Dolan can too.

Improved protection. That’s got some ring to it.