Dolan: Times Report on Priest Payoffs Groundless

NY1
June 4, 2012

manhattan.ny1.com/content/top_stories/162413/dolan--times-report-on-priest-payoffs-groundless

[with video]

Cardinal Timothy Dolan is slamming a report suggesting he authorized payments to priests accused of sexual abuse in exchange for them leaving the church.

The New York Times last week cited documents showing that when Dolan was Archbishop of Milwaukee in 2003 he agreed to pay several alleged pedophile priests $20,000 if they left the church.

The Milwaukee Archdiocese also admitted to the payouts after the plan was revealed by the advocacy group Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, or SNAP.

While speaking to reporters Sunday, Dolan claimed the payments were "charity."

He also blasted the SNAP and the Times, calling the report groundless and scurrilous.

"The New York Times does not have a reputation for fair and accurate reporting when it comes to this issue, it has little credibility when it comes to this issue and its reporting and SNAP has no credibility whatsoever," Dolan said.

In response, SNAP issued a statement saying, "Cardinal Dolan attacked our group and again refused to address questions about the disturbing contradiction between what he said and what he did about secretly paying predator priests to quietly leave."