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	Bishop Outlines Diocese's Plan in Letter Read at Masses By Ann McGlynn Quad-City Times February 4, 2008 http://www.qctimes.com/articles/2008/02/04/news/iowa/doc47a68302290c5985030446.txt?sPos=3 Four yet-unnamed parishes in the Diocese of Davenport will pay $2.9 million toward the diocese's portion of the $37 million bankruptcy settlement, Bishop Martin Amos told parishioners in a letter read at Masses this weekend. The St. Vincent Home Corp., a diocesan charity, will pay $3 million, while the diocese will provide $5.7 million in cash and likely borrow $2 million. Furthermore, once the settlement is paid, the diocese will announce a campaign as it restores its finances and finds office space and a place for retired priests to live, the letter said. The settlement includes the deeding of the diocesan headquarters, the St. Vincent Center, to the bankruptcy settlement trustee. It is valued at $3.9 million. Insurance company Travelers will pay $19.5 million. Amos apologized to the victims of diocesan clergy abuse at the conclusion of the letter, which was read after Bible lessons on justice, humility and seeking righteousness. "I hope this can be a time of healing and hope for them and all of us," Amos wrote, noting the diocese enters this phase of bankruptcy as Lent — a time of penance — begins. The $37 million settlement will release all parishes, schools and other diocesan Catholic entities from liability for abuse that happened before the diocese filed for bankruptcy before October 2006, the letter notes. The parishes with the most severe abuse cases, he said, would have "most certainly" lost all their liquid assets if cases proceeded, Amos said. The four parishes that will contribute the $2.9 million have some of the most serious cases of sex abuse, he noted. Other parishes have asked to assist with paying the settlement, Amos wrote. Mike Uhde, the chairman of the creditors committee, called it "patently unfair" to single out specific parishes for a contribution to the settlement. "The parishioners themselves are never responsible for who their priests are," he said. "They are assigned by the bishop." More than half of the parishes in the diocese had abusive priests assigned to them, and St. Ambrose University had several, Uhde said. The diocese filed for bankruptcy after it lost its first civil sex abuse case that went to trial. It was brought by Uhde, and he was awarded $1.5 million by a Scott County jury for abuse he suffered as a child by the now-dead Msgr. Thomas Feeney. Michael Gould of Florida was set to go to civil trial on accusations he was sexually abused by retired Sioux City Bishop Lawrence Soens, who was a priest in the Diocese of Davenport. That case is on hold pending the outcome of the bankruptcy. Soens is the only clergy member named in the bankruptcy reorganization plan filed last week by the diocese. The diocese agreed to prepare a report about complaints of alleged abuse by Soens and send that report to the Vatican's representative in the United States. The plan includes a detailed matrix that assigns a dollar amount to the 156 bankruptcy claimants based on the severity of abuse suffered at the hands of clergy. Claimants are allowed to take the bankruptcy settlement trustee to court if they do not wish to be paid based on the matrix. It also lays out 18 nonmonetary agreements the diocese made with the claimants, including the report regarding Soens, the naming of all credibly accused priests, sworn statements from all diocesan priests about the knowledge of sex abuse perpetrated by others and the bishop lobbying for the elimination of criminal statute of limitations for sex abuse prosecution. The next court hearing is March 5. Ann McGlynn can be contacted at (563) 383-2336 or amcglynn@qctimes.com.
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