WISCONSIN
Catholic Herald
Written by Brian T. Olszewski, Catholic Herald Staff Thursday, 07 June 2012
ST. FRANCIS – “Christian charity” and “sound stewardship” are what prompted the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in 2003 to pay some priests who had sexually abused children at least $10,000 to seek laicization, Jerry Topczewski, chief of staff for Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki, told your Catholic Herald June 1.
Topczewski was responding to questions that arose May 30 regarding the minutes of the March 7, 2003, Archdiocesan Finance Council meeting in which council members raised the matter that “currently unassignable priests are receiving full salaries and are budgeted under the Vicar for Clergy. There is a proposal to reduce their benefit to be the same as the current pension benefit, $1,250 per month and also offer $20,000 for laicization ($10,000 at the start and $10,000 at the completion of the process). Also, they remain on our health insurance until they find other employment.”
The minutes were an exhibit accompanying a motion filed by the creditors’ committee in the archdiocese’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, seeking to have $35 million from what was the Parish Deposit Fund (PDF) considered archdiocesan assets, contending that the archdiocese had “sheltered” those funds so that they could not be considered part of the estate in the reorganization.
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