With the Gospel foremost in mind
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With the Gospel foremost in mind

In today’s Boston Globe, there is an article that says when the Boston archdiocese floated the idea of bankruptcy protection, other US bishops, most vociferously Cardinal Mahony, quickly put the kabosh on it.

    Just before Law resigned on Dec. 13, the Vatican gave conditional permission for a bankruptcy filing, but wanted to solicit the views of other US cardinals and bishops before reaching a final decision, one archdiocesan adviser said yesterday. The adviser asked that he not be identified.

    Immediately, several influential US cardinals and bishops objected, according to this adviser and others who are familiar with the issue. The adviser and others said the prelates expressed concerns that a bankruptcy filing by the fourth largest American archdiocese would prompt a serious falloff in donations across the country, damage the church’s reputation, and create an ominous precedent by opening the church’s secret financial records to public view. No American diocese has ever filed for bankruptcy.

I see, and at what point did concern for the spread of the Gospel and the shepherding of souls enter into the equation? All I see is a concern for covering their backsides and their wallets. The Church’s reputation was damaged long before any bankruptcy filing was proposed and it was done by these same bishops covering up horrific crimes.

For the record, the unidentified adviser now says that most of the bishops have subsequently withdrawn their objections.

Also this tidbit:

    Garabedian, who won a $10 million settlement last year for 86 plaintiffs against defrocked priest John J. Geoghan, has yet to file monetary demands for his clients. He would not discuss his reasons for refusing to join in the moratorium [only civil lawsuits while settlements are discussed], but other lawyers say he has told them he also has cases ready for trial, and will only agree to a moratorium if the two Shanley cases [by a different law firm] are also put on hold.

The Shanley cases were allowed to proceed because pre-trial discovery is almost done. In other words, Garabedian is probably saying “No fair, if they get to go after their huge contingency fees, then I want to also.”

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