BishopAccountability.org
	Questions Raised over Diocese Plan By Laura Legere Citizens Voice February 8, 2009 http://www.citizensvoice.com/articles/2009/02/08/news/wb_voice.20090208.a.pg3 .cv08cddiocese_s1.2289811_top7.txt The Diocese of Scranton addressed lingering questions last week about the rationale for widespread consolidations that will eventually cut the number of parishes in the 11-county diocese roughly by half. In the announcements made at Masses last weekend, Bishop Joseph F. Martino explained that shifting populations, financially troubled parishes and a dwindling number of priests forced him to merge or close some parishes. But in the days following the announcements, some area Catholics raised questions about the current state of diocesan finances and worried that parishes were being sacrificed to right the regional church's fiscal situation — a situation the bishop in recent weeks called "troubling" and "alarming." In an e-mail, diocesan spokesman William Genello responded to questions about what the diocese is doing to save money in other areas — by closing rectories or cutting administrative costs, how it will pay any taxes levied on closed churches and whether payouts for settlements of sexual abuse cases were to blame for the church's fiscal distress. Genello said that the financial condition of the diocese is separate from the financial status of the parishes, which explains why "the Diocese itself will not be saving money" on the parish restructuring. "The savings will be to the parishes to enable them to provide resources for programs and services rather than maintenance of buildings," he said. He also referred to that separation to address how the diocese can afford to hire a consultant for the reorganization process, the Washington state-based Reid Group, amid its dire financial situation, as well as how the diocese is working to resolve the deficit in its administrative budget and how settlements for sexual abuse cases are paid. According to figures reported by the diocese in the past, the regional church had paid $836,652 to address claims of clergy sexual abuse by August 2005 and an additional $250,000 insurance deductible to cover a $3 million settlement in November 2007. Genello said the belief that such settlements are to blame for church closings "is a persistent myth, but it is not true." "No parish funds have been used to satisfy" settlements for sexual abuse cases, he said, because the diocese has paid those costs through its own self-insurance fund or other insurance carriers. Specifically, no parish or education assessments, money raised through the Annual Appeal fund drive, or proceeds from the sale of parish properties are used to cover settlements, he said. Genello declined to provide information about how much The Reid Group is being paid, but said the planning consultant was "needed" and added that the many Catholic dioceses across the country that have used the agency "have found the services of The Reid Group to be well worth the cost." Although diocesan administrative costs are separate from parish finances, Genello said the diocese is taking steps to cut those costs, including by freezing a pension plan for lay employees and considering a wage freeze for fiscal 2009. In addition, Genello said the value of a parish's property was "not a factor" in the decisions about which parishes to consolidate. He could not address the future tax burden the diocese may have to bear when it closes churches, saying it "would have to be researched with our accountants and legal counsel." He said rectories that will no longer be used to house priests after the consolidations will either serve another purpose — as offices, meeting spaces or classrooms, for example — or will be "closed and put up for sale." "This is the usual practice," he said. Contact: llegere@timesshamrock.com
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