BOSTON (MA)
Boston Globe
By Frank Phillips, Globe Staff | August 9, 2005
Governor Mitt Romney promised yesterday to give close consideration to a controversial bill that would require the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston and other churches in Massachusetts to make their financial statements public. During a press conference, Romney stopped short of endorsing the bill, but called it a ''very important area of inquiry."
Romney's comments, coming before a legislative hearing on the measure tomorrow, could boost its chances of passage.
Romney said that he strongly believes that nonprofit organizations should be required to disclose their assets and financial details and indicated he was open to arguments that religious organizations should be subject to the same requirements as charities overseen by the attorney general's office.
''Clearly, nonprofit organizations should be subject to a level of disclosure which is consistent with the tax treatment they receive," Romney said. He said the filings, made to the attorney general's office, allow the public to ''make sure that money is being properly spent." ...
The proposal is driven in large part by lawmakers' frustrations with the Catholic Church, which has for several years been dealing with the fallout from the clergy sexual abuse crisis and now faces protests over church and school closings. Many see the Walsh bill as a test of how much clout the archdiocese retains among the state's political establishment.