Diocese of Wilmington, DE files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

From the Associated Press:

A bankruptcy filing by the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington was the best way to ensure reconciliation and compensation for all victims of clergy sexual abuse in the diocese, the bishop said Monday.

The diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection late Sunday after hours of settlement negotiations failed with about a dozen alleged victims, including eight plaintiffs whose cases were scheduled for trial. More than 100 other alleged victims are pursuing compensation through dispute resolution instead of trials.

"It was clear to us in our negotiations that the amount of money that was being sought by the early victims and the finite amount that we had ... was not going to work," said the Most Rev. W. Francis Malooly, the bishop of the diocese.

... The Wilmington diocese, which serves about 230,000 Catholics in Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland, is the seventh U.S. Catholic diocese to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection since the church abuse scandal erupted seven years ago in Boston.

Others are Davenport, Iowa; Fairbanks, Alaska; Portland, Ore.; San Diego; Spokane, Wash.; and Tucson, Ariz. The San Diego case was dismissed.

Mahony mounts the witness stand for second time

AP:

FRESNO, Calif.—Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles is on the witness stand testifying in the case of two brothers who claim they were molested years ago by a priest at a San Joaquin Valley church.

Mahony was a high-level administrator in the Fresno diocese during some of the years George and Howard Santillan claim they were molested by Monsignor Anthony Herdegen at a church in Wasco, a small town north of Bakersfield.

... Mahony is now head of the nation's largest Roman Catholic archdiocese. This marks only the second time he will take the witness stand to answer questions before jurors about alleged molestation by priests.

Anyone remember how the last time went? I was not following the news as closely back then.

Breaking: US court allows man to sue Vatican

I've seen similar stores in the past, but this one appears a bit more serious/believable:

In one what lawyers said was a landmark ruling, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Portland, Oregon, decided that victims of sexual abuse by priest can take legal action against the Vatican - which has been accused of covering up for offenders - even though it is considered a sovereign nation.

When the case finally came to court last year, the Holy See claimed immunity under an American law - the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) - that grants immunity before US courts to foreign states.

However, the court said that abuse could be an exception to the act, adding that the Vatican has "control over the priest in terms of his removal and his transfers, enough control that it can be held legally responsible as the master of the priest".

The ruling was "a major breakthrough in the sense that the problem emanates from the top", said Jeff Anderson, a lawyer for the plaintiff. (UK Telegraph)

... or am I off base and this isn't going anywhere?

Breaking: NW province of Jesuits files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

More precisely, the Oregon province of the Society of Jesus:

Associated Press:

Confronted by scores of lawsuits alleging sex abuse by priests, the Jesuits of the Oregon Province have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The petition was filed Tuesday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Portland. The province of the Roman Catholic order listed assets of less than $5 million and liabilities of almost $62 million.

More from the Oregonian.

Life Teen Founder Excommunicated

Fr. Dale Fushek, best known for being one of the founders of "Life Teen", has finally been excommunicated.

From the Diocese of Phoenix website:

December 15, 2008-The Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix, has issued a Decree of Excommunication to Reverend Monsignor Dale Fushek and Reverend Mark Dippre.

Fushek and Dippre have incurred the censure of excommunication because they have chosen to be in schism with the Catholic Church by establishing and leading an opposing ecclesial community known to the public as the Praise and Worship Center. Both priests have consistently refused to comply with explicit directions by Bishop Olmsted to discontinue engaging in public ministry. The excommunications were incurred after repeated offers of reconciliation were ignored. The decree of excommunication by Bishop Olmsted declares the censure that Fushek and Dippre, as ordained priests, have brought upon themselves. The purpose of these sanctions is to reconcile both men with the Catholic Church and to preserve the integrity and unity of the Diocese.

... Bishop Olmsted continues to express his grave concern for Catholics who may be misled or confused by the actions of Dale Fushek and Mark Dippre. The Diocese of Phoenix does not endorse the actions of these excommunicated priests and we encourage Catholics to refrain from attending or supporting the Praise and Worship Center. We remind Catholics that the ultimate form of praise and worship is and always will be the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and we urge them to keep the Mass as the center of their lives. There is no substitution for the graces received at Mass and no prayer more edifying.

Marcel has a reaction statement from the current president of Life Teen, Randy Raus, making the point that Fr. Fushek's involvement with Life Teen is long over:

This excommunication is not connected in any way with the ministry of Life Teen, as all of the actions that led to this occurred after Rev. Dale Fushek’s involvement with our ministry. Further, I want to make it clear that Life Teen is in no way associated with his new venture.

Even though it has been almost four years since he has been directly involved with the movement of Life Teen, the media continues to associate Rev. Dale Fushek with Life Teen. While we continue to pray for Rev. Dale Fushek, the movement of Life Teen is in full support of Bishop Olmsted and Diocese of Phoenix in this matter.

Fr. Fushek (wiki entry) has been very bad news for a long time. In 2005 he was indicted for sexually-related misdemeanor charges. The one-time vicar general of the diocese was accused of sexually abusing a teen, and costing the diocese a $100,000 settlement. I commented on this developing story briefly back in January.

Well, good riddance.

More about the "clergy sex abuse garden" in Oakland

When I first reported the clergy sex abuse garden planned for Oakland's new Cathedral of Light, I commented that "Abstract landscaping is not how Catholics heal spiritual and psychological trauma."

Today CNN does a story on it:


Photo caption: "Terrie Light, a victim of sexual abuse, says this broken rock represents the shattered lives of victims."

She explains: "She says the garden's centerpiece, a symbolic low stone sculpture that's broken, is fitting for those whose lives were shattered by priests. "The energy that the artist put was this circular stone trying to pull itself to become unbroken. That is our journey. That is what we try to do every day -- is to try to be unbroken."

She goes on: "Terrie Light, who has been a vocal advocate for abuse victims for many years, says getting the garden built was not an easy process. "We got silence, then we got passed around," she says."

Even worse:

The bench placement is deliberate and takes into account the feelings and needs of abuse victims. Those who choose not to face the cathedral end up facing a small lake across the street.

So people are expected to come all the way to the Cathedral, to the abuse garden, only to stare ... away?

More of this:

Why outside?

"There are people that want to go into a church that cannot. It's too painful, too emotionally traumatizing," she says. "There are other people that are ambivalent -- that want to be there and not want to be there. This gives them the option."

The garden is not what survivors had originally envisioned -- a lush, English garden with flowers and trees. But they are pleased with the outcome.

First of all, again, this garden should not serve as an alternative to the true reconciliation which must occur within and through the Church. Nature walks and foux spiritualism are not how such wounds heal.

Oh, and - wait a minute - they say they wanted a lush, English garden "with flowers and trees"?! Then who was pushing for the modernist/abstract solution that was actually implemented?! Questions, questions ... regrets.

Sacramento v. Dominicans

CanonLawBlog.com:

The Diocese of Sacramento is suing the Western Province of the Dominicans for payment of what the diocese asserts is the religious order's fair share of a civil judgment entered against the diocese in regard to a sexual misconduct case involving a Dominican priest then working in the diocese. (More)

Curiouser and Curiouser

Diogenes has a head-scratcher about this Washington Times piece on this book, and its shunning.

NYT talks about Oakland's cathedral & sexual abuse garden

The almost-completed Oakland cathedral, which by the way, currently looks like this...

... also includes a small garden devoted to the victims of sexual abuse (concept photo):

... and this is exactly the sort of story the New York Times loves talking about: for one thing, it allows them to continue discussing the clergy sexual abuse scandal, in addition to painting those who oppose this garden as reactionary.

Fact is, this is just a stupid and very-poorly executed idea, on several levels.

(And it's not like we can hope for a natural disaster to free us of this aesthetic effrontery - it's rated to withstand a 1000 year earthquake. Well, I guess we can always pray for a miracle.)

... and before the comment box starts humming, let me make very clear that what I think is primarily wrong with this idea is the solution of setting up a meaningless zen garden to heal the hurts caused by sexual abuse. Abstract landscaping is not how Catholics heal spiritual and psychological trauma.

Ph/t: AmP reader James.

Richard Sipe "outs" retired DC Cardinal McCarrick

It's interesting (surprising?) that Catholic World News would report on this accusation:

Richard Sipe, a former Benedictine priest and psychologist who has commented extensively on the sex-abuse scandal in the US, has accused Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the retired Archbishop of Washington, of recruiting seminarians as sexual partners.

Here is Sipe's statement.

A couple reactions:

• It is doubteful that Sipe would go this far if he did not think he could survive a counter-lawsuit saying that he is guilty of libel for making these claims. By the same token, however, the failure of McCarrick to bring such a lawsuit should not automatically be taken as an admission of guilt on his part.
• I don't know much about Richard Sipe, but it appears he has taken some of his advocacy on behalf of uncovering abusive priests too far. For instance, he thinks clergy celibacy should be repealed.

In posting this story, I'm not trying to take a position on the veracity of Sipe's claims, or the prudence of addressing the situation in the way he chose (publicly). CWNews has already let the story out of the bag.

Video: Abuse victims describe personal meeting with Pope

CNN has posted the video: "Unfiltered access to the pope". I highly recommend watching it.

Ph/t: Amy Welborn.

update: someone put it on YouTube, though I don't know how long it will last:

Pope Benedict meets privately with victims of sexual abuse

Disproving the false notion that Pope Benedict somehow doesn't care about the victims of abuse:

• John Allen reports: "In an unexpected and essentially unprecedented move, Pope Benedict XVI met quietly with five victims of clerical sexual abuse this afternoon at the Vatican’s embassy to the United States, located in Washington, D.C.
  Prior to this afternoon, no pope had ever met with victims of sexual abuse by priests. That omission has been oft-cited by critics of the church’s response to the crisis as an indication that Rome and the papacy are out of touch with American realities, or in denial about the magnitude of the problem."
• CNS provides more: "Father Lombardi said it was a very emotional meeting; some were in tears."
• The Vatican noted the meeting in an official press release.

"Vatican defrocks convicted priest Donald McGuire"

A long time coming, and now here. Chicago Tribune:

A Jesuit priest convicted of molesting students at a Chicago-area Catholic school in the 1960s was officially defrocked Friday.

Donald J. McGuire has been permanently removed from all clerical functions, said a statement from Rev. Edward Schmidt, the head of the Chicago order of the Society of Jesus to which McGuire belonged.

"We are outraged and saddened that any abuse ever took place," Schmidt said. "[McGuire] has terribly abused the trust [the victims], and we, put in him. And the church, by the action taken today, has demonstrated that same belief."

I haven't followed this story too closely. Is there any context to add?

In the Mailbox: The Faithful Departed

Hot off the press! Philip F. Lawler's new book (Phil is the editor of Catholic World News).

From the publisher: "Faithful Departed traces the rise and fall of the Catholic Church in Boston, showing how the Massachusetts experience set a pattern that echoed throughout the United States as religious institutions lost influence in the face of rising secularization. The collapse of Catholicism in Boston became apparent with the explosion of the sex-abuse crisis. Lawler shows that the sex-abuse scandal was neither the cause nor the beginning of Catholicism's decline in Boston."

The first chapter is available online here.

I just got my copy last night, and started reading it this morning. Review to follow shortly.

Arch. of Milwaukee facing $3M deficit, forced to cut personnel & programs

Bleak times for the City of Festivals.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is facing a $3 million deficit in its current budget and will need to make substantial cuts in staffing and services for the fiscal year that begins July 1, partly because a deal to sell the Cousins Center fell through, an archdiocesan spokesman said Wednesday.

[The letter from Archbishop Dolan and] other information also have been posted at the archdiocese's Web site, http://www.archmil.org/, as part of Dolan's effort to share information with the region's 675,000 Catholics.

A clarification included for Milwaukee residents:

"... the archdiocese's ongoing $105 million Faith in Our Future capital campaign would not be used to balance the budget or to pay sexual abuse costs. It is intended to fund new programs and endowments at the archdiocesan and parish levels, and its funds will be held in a charitable trust outside the assets of the archdiocese."

An reminder not included for Milwaukee residents today, but published by Rod Dreherin 2002:

Archbishop Rembert Weakland of Milwaukee, the most liberal bishop in America, has been disgraced by the revelation that he paid $450,000 in hush money to buy the silence of an apparent former male lover.

... Weakland wears his dissent as a badge of honor.

"Members of the Roman Curia often referred to me as a 'maverick,'" the archbishop wrote in his archdiocesan newspaper column last May.

"The best compliment I received, then, came from a religious superior in Rome who said: 'Rome does not know what to do with Weakland. He is a free man.' I feel I have been able to maintain my own dignity and identity through it all."

... In the last few months, Weakland defied an order from the Vatican to halt his $4.5 million dollar extremely modernistic renovation of Milwaukee's historic cathedral, which was left ravaged by the procedure. One puzzled Catholic described the new stripped-down space as akin to "a fancy Baptist church with a very large communion table." (National Review Online, 5/24/02)

As Rod points out:

Neither Weakland nor the money-grubbing Marcoux are victims. The Catholics of Milwaukee are. Their archbishop's arrogance and selfishness in the seedy Marcoux matter has cost them nearly half a million dollars. But in truth, the intangible cost is much higher.

I would argue that the tangible costs of Weakland's dishonesty and parasitism, if today is any example, are also still rising much higher. This from a man who reserved a website for himself (at least in 2006).

Maybe adding a donation button to help out his beleaguered ex-diocese would be in order, for a start.

Follow-up: LAPD begins investigation of Cdl. Mahony assault claim

Since yesterday's post about Cardinal Mahony's claim that he was violently assaulted this summer is receiving a great deal of traction, I've decided to post an update.

For starters, in today's world you can't simply mention to your priests "Oh, and by the way I was assaulted" and expect it to stay quiet.

Indeed, LAPD detectives began investigating Mahony's report yesterday (the same day the story went public):

LAPD detectives Tuesday began investigating reports that Cardinal Roger Mahony told hundreds of priests he was assaulted by a man angered over the Catholic Church's sexual-abuse scandal, police said.

Police found no reports regarding an assault on Mahony and contacted church officials to ask them about it, said Andrew Smith, assistant commanding officer for the Los Angeles Police Department's Central Bureau.

"If it came to my attention that something happened to Cardinal Mahony, I would have called him and offered my assistance and assured that it was fully investigated ... which is exactly what we're going to do now," Smith said.

... Smith said while Mahony's under no legal obligation to cooperate in an investigation, he hopes that the cardinal does.

"What I'd really like to do is find out who the guy who did it was," Smith said. "Maybe he's going around and assaulting priests all over the diocese. ... Despite whatever your personal feelings are about the Catholic Church or the abuse, you can't walk up to anybody on the street and assault them."

Smith said detectives will do a thorough job and leave no stone unturned as they try to piece together what occurred. - DailyNews

More details on the alleged attack:

“[Mahony] went down there to drop something off at the mailbox when this guy approached him, saying some stuff,” said Father Gutierrez, pastor of St. Anne Catholic Church in Santa Monica. “Then, boom, the guy was on him.”

The attack, according to Father Gutierrez and others, occurred days after a Los Angeles Superior Court judge approved a $660 million settlement between the archdiocese and more than 500 local victims of abuse by the clergy. The settlement is the largest of its kind in the country. - NewYorkTimes

Associated Press details:

Mahony, 71, told the priests about the attack during a conference in October, said the Rev. Joseph Shea, pastor of Holy Family Catholic Church in Glendale. The cardinal said it occurred in late July or early August as he was dropping off letters at a mailbox near Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral in downtown Los Angeles, Shea said.

"The comments people made as they kicked him were connected to the sexual abuse lawsuits," he told The Associated Press.

Shea said Mahony was so badly beaten that the cardinal was hospitalized, and that it took him weeks to recover.

... Shea said Mahony did not report the attack to police "because he felt he could offer it up in reparation for the sins of others."

... The Rev. Sal Pilato, principal at Junipero Serra Catholic High School in Gardena, who was also at the conference, told the Daily News that Mahony's account was "shocking because it was an act of violence and it was someone we know and respect."

Another witness account from the LA Times:

The priest said Mahony offered the story almost in passing, as a way of illustrating the personal toll that the sexual abuse scandal had exacted on everyone in the church, but especially its hundreds of victims.

"He said he was walking to the post office or the store and that a man recognized him and started shouting obscenities about the abuse," the priest said. "Then the man came up and punched him and he fell to the ground. We were all shocked. Nobody had heard anything about it."

... Another priest who attended the conference said Mahony was struck in the face during the assault. The priest, along with a third source familiar with the meeting, confirmed the details of Mahony's statements, but both also asked not to be named.

The response from the Archdiocese (besides declining to comment):

The cardinal could not be reached for comment. A spokeswoman for the archdiocese, Carolina Guevara, said, “The annual pastoral meeting with the priests of the archdiocese is a private meeting, and whatever conversation that might have taken place was between the priests and their bishop and was not meant to be public.”

Priests at the meeting reported that Cardinal Mahoney said it had taken him a month to heal from the assault. “The cardinal is fine,” Ms. Guevara said when asked about his condition. - New York Times

Finally, local station CBS 2 has a video report on its website.

That's the pesky thing about mentioning something you decided to keep private: you can't.

More as I hear it.

Report: Mahony tells priests he was assaulted near L.A.'s cathedral

Follow-up: LAPD begins investigation of Cardinal Mahony assault claim.

It happened last July, it took him a month to heal, and he didn't tell his priests until October:

Cardinal Roger Mahony was physically assaulted by a man enraged by the Catholic Church's sexual-abuse scandal within days of a record settlement with hundreds of victims, the Daily News has learned.

Mahony, 71, revealed the attack during an annual conference in October before hundreds of stunned priests, saying a man assaulted him because of the scandal, according to four priests who attended the conference.

News of the assault comes as the bulk of the church's $660million settlement with victims began being paid out Monday, with more than $500million in checks going out in the mail. The settlement with 508 alleged victims was approved by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge July 16.

The attack on Mahony occurred in July near Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral in downtown Los Angeles, and it took the cardinal about a month to heal, said the Rev. Sal Pilato, principal at Junipero Serra Catholic High School in Gardena. The cardinal was dropping off letters at a mailbox when he was assaulted, priests said.

... Mahony told the priests that after his attacker recognized him, the man began shouting expletives and knocked him to the ground, said another priest who asked not be identified.

Details of Mahony's narration:

Mahony was telling the priests they all had a price to pay for the sexual abuses perpetrated by their brethren when he relayed the story of the assault as an example of the personal toll he's endured, several priests said.

Bruised after the attack, he said it gave him a deeper understanding of the suffering the victims of the sex scandal have endured, the priests said.

"The main message was that his wounds healed within a month, bruises and all, but the victims of child abuse are still suffering after many years, that their wounds are far deeper than what he experienced," Pilato said.

...

Mahony also revealed at the conference that he thought he might be attacked earlier when tensions over the allegations of sexual abuses by priests were at their peak, said the priest who did not want to be identified.

The priest said he thinks Mahony and others mismanaged the scandal by not removing priests who were sexually abusing children sooner and failing to settle cases earlier. That lack of action has damaged the church's reputation and cost it millions of dollars, he said.

Still, the fact that Mahony was attacked over the scandal and chose not to make it public impressed the priest. - Daily News

Reuters follows-up here.

Yes, it is unfortunate that Mahony was attacked. The story prompts a couple questions for me, however: if Mahony indeed wanted this event to remain private, why did he tell his convoked priests about it? He couldn't think that it wouldn't get around. Second, if it took him a month to heal from his injuries, why did no one notice?

update: I should be more specific: I'm not trying to call into question Mahony's claim that he was attacked. I'm just scratching my head about his deciding to keep it private and then, months later, revealing it among his presbyterate. It strikes me as an imprudent move, if for no other reason than it would seem to promote this sort of (criminal) behavior by announcing that he didn't decide to press charges.

update 2: apologies to those who tried to visit this post earlier and couldn't find it. blogger appears to be playing games with it. I'm trying to resolve that issue now.

update 3: follow-up: LAPD begins investigation of Cardinal Mahony assault claim.

CWNews forum: "To restore credibility, Cardinal Mahony should resign"

Phil Lawler of CWNews:

Five years ago Cardinal Roger Mahony was reportedly encouraging Vatican officials to ask for the resignation of Boston's Cardinal Bernard Law. Using the same logical arguments that the American prelate presented in 2002, the Vatican should now ask Cardinal Mahony himself to step down.

The sensational cost of the sex-abuse scandal for the Los Angeles archdiocese far exceeds the devastation in Boston. The $660-million legal settlement announced on July 16 is nearly five times the total of the financial damages in Boston. Combining that settlement with previous agreements, lawyers' fees, and other associated costs, the overall price to be paid by the faithful Catholics of Los Angeles will approach $1 billion.

I think that while this petition will only gain force with time, the iron is already plenty hot now.

Related:

• CNA: Vatican spokesman says sexual abuse not just Catholic problem
• Whispers: LA's Deal: Words from Near and Far - contains translation of the statement.
• (In the Light of the Law from March 23rd, but still topical:) Prof. Bainbridge's call for Cdl. Mahony's resignation

The raw data on clergy sexual abuse...

... presented at The Cafeteria is Closed.

Projected L.A. sex abuse settlement cost: Over $600 million

Update: Final cost ... $660,000,000. Full story here. Story on Mahony apologizing here.

Update 2: Regarding Mahony's treatment in the media, read Jeff's revealing post.

AP:

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles will settle its clergy abuse cases for at least $600 million, by far the largest payout in the church's sexual abuse scandal, The Associated Press learned Saturday.

Attorneys for the archdiocese and alleged victims are expected to announce the deal Monday, the day the first of more than 500 clergy abuse cases was scheduled for jury selection, according to two people with knowledge of the agreement. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the settlement had not been made public.

The archdiocese and its insurers will pay between $600 million and $650 million to about 500 plaintiffs—an average of $1.2 to $1.3 million per person. The settlement also calls for the release of confidential priest personnel files after review by a judge assigned to oversee the litigation, the sources said.

It wasn't immediately clear how the payout would be split between the insurers, the archdiocese and several Roman Catholic religious orders. A judge must sign off on the agreement, and final details were being ironed out over the weekend.

"Mahony ordered to testify in abuse case" - LATimes

LA Times:

A judge Wednesday ordered Cardinal Roger M. Mahony to testify in a lawsuit alleging that he failed to protect parishioners from a pedophile teacher, but then granted the Los Angeles cleric's request for a trial delay.

The lawsuit had been scheduled for trial Monday; Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Haley Fromholtz agreed to a two-month delay.

...

Mahony submitted to a sworn deposition three years ago in the clergy cases. Previously, he had testified under oath in Stockton in a 1998 trial that ended in a $30-million verdict against the church by the victims of former priest Oliver O'Grady.

Via AMDG.