MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Globe
By John Garvey | August 11, 2005
CATHOLICS in Boston have had a hard time the last few years. The clergy sexual abuse scandal and the parish closings have involved a lot of heartbreak. And a lot of money. The abuse settlement cost $85 million. The parishes scheduled for closing are worth more than that. Some Catholics are unhappy with the church's handling of these matters. Some blame the closings on the abuse settlement. (Not so. It was paid for by sale of the church's Brighton headquarters.) Others contend that the wrong parishes were slated for closing. The archdiocese tried to anticipate these concerns by involving the laity in the initial closing recommendations. And canon law allows people to appeal closings within the church's legal system. Some have already done this.
State Senator Marian Walsh of West Roxbury has proposed a law that would enlist the attorney general on the side of unhappy Catholics. The law would require religious organizations to file detailed financial statements with the Division of Public Charities. The statements would include sources of income, expenses, bank accounts, real estate, compensation paid to employees and professional consultants, and so on.
Churches have never been required to file such statements, though other charities do. Walsh maintains that the law would equalize their treatment. Besides, she argues, her constituents have given donations to their churches, and they are entitled to see that their money is wisely spent.
The attorney general has expressed some skepticism about the proposal. And well he might. The Division of Public Charities (a branch of his office) performs a useful service in supervising charities -- seeing that they meet donors' expectations, and that charity officials are loyal and careful in the management of charitable assets