BishopAccountability.org
	Survivor Advocates Urge Bridgeport Catholics to Get Answers before Contributing Voice from the Desert December 12, 2009 http://reform-network.net/?p=2429 Received via email from SNAP administration, 12.11.2009. * * * Survivor Advocates Coalition (NSAC) Urges Bridgeport Catholics to “Follow the Money” Get Answers Before Giving to Christmas Collection The Catholics of Bridgeport Connecticut deserve better than they are getting from Bishop William Lori. First, their money is spent to fight for a serious and hefty fight to the United States Supreme Court to keep documents about sexual abuse by priests secret. Now, today’s Hartford Courant reports, that Bishop William Lori paid $40,000 in Catholic money to victims of two priests who remain in ministry in the diocese. One of the priests, Father Frank Wissel, a pastor and founder of a home for underprivileged says he never knew any payments were paid and he was told an investigation decided the charges were false. Monsignor William Genuario, the other priest in today’s report, was a vicar general of the diocese, currently a judge on the marriage tribunal court, and has been part of the diocese’s administration since 1956. The diocesan faithful who contribute to the coffers that pay settlements and legal fees have to be understandably confused: why pay if allegations are false? or if allegations are true why keep priests in ministry when you have a policy of removing them as Bishop Lori says he does? We urged Catholics in Bridgeport to follow the money and get clear answers from their Bishop before they turn over any more of the their hard earned money in the Christmas and Sunday collections. The coalition is not advocating that Catholics in Bridgeport withhold their money from good causes, particularly those that help children. We do urge them to give their money and to dig deep and give generously to any group that has clearly demonstrated that the money is used to help children, not to fight legal battles and obscure the truth.
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