MILWAUKEE (WI)
God Discussion
Religious liberty, the resurrection of the dead, and $57 million … an interview with SNAP about Catholic bankruptcy case (Friday, August 9, 2013)
When a federal judge ruled on July 29 that the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s free expression of religion and religious liberty would be violated if it was required to tap into its trust for the perpetual care of cemeteries — valued at over $50 million – to pay creditors who are mostly victims of abuse, many observers were shocked. Joining us Friday, August 9 to talk about the case are Peter Isely, Founding Member and Midwest Director of SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) and Judy Jones, Midwest Associate Director of SNAP (bios follow).
This is a very important case that may play a role in future bankruptcy protection filings by religious institutions, particularly since the creditor victims allege that $57 million was moved on purpose to a cemetery trust to avoid compensating them. Here’s a timeline:
* The New York Times reported that in 2007, Cardinal Timothy F. Dolan, then the archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee, requested permission from the Vatican to move nearly $57 million into a cemetery trust fund to protect the assets from victims of clergy sexual abuse who were demanding compensation.
* In January 2011, the archdiocese filed for bankruptcy protection. Archbishop Jerome Listecki said, “As a result of the horrific actions of a few, there are financial claims pending against the archdiocese that exceed our means.”
* Bankruptcy Judge Susan V. Kelley ruled the archdiocese could not use First Amendment protections to stop the Court from examining the possibly fraudulent creation of a $57 million “cemetery trust” by former Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who is now Cardinal of New York.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.