Bankruptcy Is a Convenient Solution for Church

By David Clohessy
Independent Record
February 11, 2014

http://helenair.com/news/opinion/readers_alley/bankruptcy-is-a-convenient-solution-for-church/article_d202394c-92b5-11e3-ae01-0019bb2963f4.html

The Helena Catholic diocese is the third diocese in eight weeks to seek bankpruptcy protection, citing clergy sex abuse and cover up allegations. But don’t be confused. This is not about money. It’s about secrecy.

The huge eruption in victims reporting clergy sexual abuse happened more than a decade ago. But these three dioceses are filing Chapter 11 because they’re smart, not broke. Bishops have learned that this is a shrewd way to save the reputations and careers of top Catholic officials by keeping a tight lid on their horrific complicity.

Bankruptcy preserves secrecy by stopping all civil litigation, one of the precious few ways that victims have of piercing the long-standing and still-formidable walls of secrecy and self preservation that surround the Catholic hierarchy.

Bankruptcy court is a mathematic process. it divides money. it does not identify or punish wrongdoers. It deters no wrongdoing. it provides no chance to publicly expose those who knowingly and repeatedly committed and concealed heinous child sex crimes. It doesn’t help expose those who are committing and concealling child sex crimes right now. It thus protects and helps complicit officials, not innocent children or wounded adults.

When a child wants to go to college, parents move heaven and earth to find the money to make that happen. Did

Helena’s bishop make any real effort to raise or find money to help these nearly 400 abuse victims? Not as best we can tell.

Did he sell unused property, take out loans, appeal to other Catholic entities or his own flock to fine money to resolve these cases? Apparently not. That’s one of the many reasons we believe this is a selfish move. We see no evidence that he explored, much less pursued, other options.

When Catholic officials borrow money, they tell lenders that even if their institution goes “belly up,” the loans will be repaid. Why? Because, they insist, the church has global reach and bishops chip in to help a brother bishop who’s in financial difficulties.

But when it comes to clergy sexual abuse, every bishop pretends to be poor, helpless and on his own. It’s disingenuous.

Many of these crimes and cover ups first happened years ago. But at least some of those who enabled the crimes are still holding high church posts. Montana citizens and Catholics deserve, at the very least, to know who they are.

Bishop George Thomas promises he’ll apologize and meet with victims. So what? That doesn’t protect a single vulnerable child, expose a single predator, or punish a single enabler. That’s just good public relations for the bishop, and what he should have done long ago. (Thomas has headed the Helena diocese for a decade.)

Church officials reportedly claim they’ll “open their (abuse) files.” We’ll believe it when it happens. And we’ll hope they won’t (but suspect they will) destroy many documents between now and then.

There are roughly 360 men and women who say they were sexually violated by priests, nuns, and brothers. Compensating them will certainly not be easy for Helena Catholic officials. But declaring bankruptcy is a cop out. It may be clever in a financial sense. But it’s an irresponsible dodge in a moral sense.

David Clohessy of St. Louis is the director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests