Bishop of San Diego asks parishoners and priests to help pay off sexual abuse settlement

With all the money the Catholic church has, it strikes me as a little cynical and sleazy for the Diocese of San Diego to ask the current parishoners and priests to pony up to help pay off the recent $198 million settlement of the sexual abuse cases. I'm sure plenty of people here on DU are ready to defend this, but frankly, if I was a parishoner (my Mom is but I'm not), I would feel a little insulted by it.

"Priests in the Diocese of San Diego are being asked to donate a month's salary... ...A month's salary ranges from $1,535 for pastors to $1,485 for associate pastors." ... "In addition, letters will be sent to the 1 million Roman Catholics in San Diego and Imperial counties asking them to make “a generous contribution...” "The packets... ...will include letters from Brom and the pastor of that person's parish, along with a return envelope."

Story at: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20071006-9999-1n6diocese.html

That's what some Diocese is doing to pay their penalties.

Or maybe that is San Diego.

A story about that is here:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-nuns7sep07,1,2190234.story

Even if a few of those same nuns more than likely terrorized generations of schoolchildren.

Thanks for setting me straight, Bob.

but I'm not sure exactly what I would write to him yet.

to pay down that bill and not accept a dime from the parishioners who they betrayed. The priests and bishops covered for each other at the price of ruining peoples lives. Let them pay the bill by working 16 hour days at menial labor if they have to.

But take not one penny from the people they were supposed to be serving, not one red cent.

:evilgrin:

I hear they have quite a stash over there. Since this is one of their affiliates, perhaps they should help out a bit?

Uh, huh. Holding my breath.

Young women in the elevator where I work have no concept. I overheard a discussion where one young "valley girl" was saying she just could not figure out what purpose unions served.
Her with her paid vacation, paid holidays and sick days, health care, 40 hour week, IRA/pension plan, and VERY well paying job. It was all I could do not to slap her in the face.

So sad. So much that was won for us, was ours for the taking if only we could hold on to it. If only we knew it was ours to hang on to.

I remember talking to young women during rallies for women's rights. They frequently began sentences with "I'm not a feminist but..." and you know the rest from there. But I believe in equal pay, equal rights, women's rights...just don't call me a feminist. *sigh* Wonder how they're doing today?

Probably afraid someone's going to call them a liberal.



edit: typo

I've not yet seen it. Did they do a good job with it? Nevermind, of course they did or you wouldn't have recommended it.

Thanks, BrklynLiberal. I'm always looking for something to raise my blood pressure. :D

between them and the diocese. Perhaps there might even be legal implications should they bail them out. They'd have to actually admit their complicity in this.

Maybe a campaign to get the Pope to sell his Prada shoes to find shelter for the LA diocese nuns? Can you imagine?

It is sickening that even in the poorest parishes in the world the church still take money from the poverty stricken parishoners when the Vatican is the holder of untold wealth...They could feed and clothe the entire world if they had the will to do so.

sent and instead makes a nice gift to a local homeless shelter or food pantry.

The diocese has shown it cannot be trusted. Why should the parishioners -- including presumably the very people who had been abused -- pay for that?

I donated the money to a local homeless shelter or food pantry instead.

Their employees screwed up (no pun intended.)

We had a thread about this a couple of weeks ago. Someone explained the org chart of how the Vatican relates to its "affiliates" in different countries, essentially absolving it of legal and business responsibility.

I'll see if I can find it.

up had stopped the priests instead of transferring them from Parish to Parish to let the hide they wouldn't need this money. They wouldn't have had to pay it out.

Though these sexual assaults have probably been going on for 2,000 years -- or so the Italians say - had the facts surfaced as they were happening the Catholic Church would be gone by now --

And, Popey and the American Bishops understood that--!!! You bet!!!

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Queenie is clearing something like $1 Billion every year from British citizens --
the Vatican isn't saying what their take is ---

Many Catholics have left the church; this seems like an idea which should truly empty the pews!


PS: On the other hand, religion and royalty aren't paying as well as OIL -- ExxonMobil $36 BILLION last year -- !!! -- or the Drug War -- !!! Or, Halliburton/Blackwater --- !!!!

:puke: