Clergy sex abuse lawsuits will ‘bankrupt the diocese'

Syracuse.com
January 28, 2019

https://bit.ly/2RVlYbb

Bishop Robert Cunningham reflects on how the church has evolved in its handling of child sex abuse. On Dec. 3, 2018, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse released a list of 57 priests with credible allegations of child sexual abuse against them. Photo by Lauren Long

This is in response to the many daily articles bashing our Catholic bishop. He has been complying with the minor victims’ parents request to keep the molesting accounts secret to prevent embarrassment and stigma. The guilty clergy were removed from contact with children; and in some cases they were expelled altogether from the priesthood.

It is now way beyond the statute of limitations. Also, the economy has increased far beyond that at the time of the molestations. But greed has obviously surfaced to change their original request for privacy to sue now for all they can.

Parishioners funded building many schools, provided modest housing for the nuns who taught, day care after school and summers (with meals) for children whose parents worked. Nowadays they are paying additional lay teachers with salaries, insurance and retirement benefits. Because of this, they have to charge tuition to cover the extra expenses. Plus they fund Catholic Charities and some nursing homes.

The diocese’s funds come from parishioners’ donations. If insufficient funds remain after suing this many years later, parishes will have to close down. Taxpayers will then have to finance building more schools, hire lay employees with insurance and benefits, etc.

If all the people you reported in the paper over the many years and many areas were to sue now, they would obviously bankrupt the diocese (who is not to blame).

Also, the newspaper printing a large picture of the inside of our cathedral is outright sacrilegious. It is a sacred place of worship for all and has nothing to do with the above.