BishopAccountability.org
	He Who Has the Gold Rules By Jim Jenkins Voice from the Desert June 6, 2008 http://reform-network.net/?p=1746 The following commentary from my California pal Jim Jenkins first appeared on the Voice of the Faithful Notes and Discussion (VOTFND) YahooGroup. It's presented here with Jim's permission. * * * Folks: I have to admit that confronting bishops is not a very high priority for me because we have long since passed the point of diminishing returns on that strategy. This is not to say that we shouldn't speak truth to power - remember we call ourselves VOICEotf. I believe that we should treat the bishops, and their clerical minions, in a manner that reflects the reality of most Catholics' relationship with them: bishops are basically irrelevant to our lives. We, i.e., American Catholics of every stripe, need to get on with the task of enabling the future "people's church" that is currently evolving into existence. I have often thought about what it will take for true reform to occur for the Catholic church. Jesse Jackson, the civil and human rights advocate, once said: "The golden rule of politics is 'he who has the gold, rules!'" First, we have to understand that the situation in the Catholic church is foremost a political issue, namely the aging celibate guys, who make all the rules and all the decisions, do so because they have complete control of the church's money. As an American general once said (very crudely), "When you have them by the b—s, their hearts and minds will follow." Once the folks in the pews take control of the money, the clerics will experience an epiphany about a whole host of issues from celibacy, reconciliation with survivors, the role of women, birth control, the selection of bishops and priests, transparency, respect for diversity of ideas and opinions, etc., etct., etc. Once the folks in the pews have control of the retirement funds and healthcare insurance for all the aging priests, we will see less and less of the narcissistic arrogance which has become the trademark of far too many clerics. The fact, reported recently in the LA Times, that parishioners will pay and pay for the financial fallout from the abuse of children is something that the clerics are banking on. And they have been doing so for decades, if not centuries. The experience and suffering of survivors has much to teach us. I came to the disturbing realization that the rape and sodomy of children and the weak by priests and bishops was financially underwritten, albeit unknowningly, mainly by the unaccountalbe and untraceable cash donations of parishioners. "Father So and So," when he was planning his assaults on children, needing to secure a child's silence or pay for a secluded place for the assault, just had to stick his hands in the cash drawer in the rectory and take whatever he wanted, with impunity. (Just recently, in Santa Rosa, CA, a Fr. Ochoa, who was aided by his bishop in skipping town back to Mexico where there is no extradition for child rape, secured credit cards for victims and their families (mostly poor, many undocumented, immigrants) in exchange for continued opportunities for abuse. Same scam, just a little more sophisticated and up-to-date.) In other words, the rape and sodomy of children by priests was paid for and assisted essentially by you and me, everytime we gave a dollar or couple of coins to our toddlers to put in the collection basket. This may be hard to swallow, but it's a fact. Consequently, when people ask me what they can do personally to effect a change in the way the church operates, I tell them to make no cash donations. Use only checks, so there is a record. Make a note on the check or write a letter stating that the funds are only to be used for some specific cause or ministry. Believe me, as someone who makes frequent donations to garner tax- reduction benefits, there are multiple ways to have directed donations. Remember, NO CASH DONATIONS! An associate justice of the California Appelate Court told me that if the priest(s) didn't use the money as directed when it was donated, he(they) could be held liable for fraud, embezzlement, and the church's tax exempt status could be threatened. Now that would be really confronting the bishops! Does VOTF have the courage to take such bold actions? The jury is still out. Jim Jenkins
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