MILWAUKEE (WI)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel Nov. 26, 2013 1
In a move intended to bolster a potential settlement between the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and sex abuse victims, victim advocates are asking the Vatican to rescind a letter that allowed then-Archbishop Timothy Dolan to shield $57 million in cemetery funds from legal liability in 2007.
The Milwaukee chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, many of whose members have pending claims in the archdiocese’s bankruptcy, announced Tuesday that it was sending the request to the Vatican.
The action comes as the archdiocese is working on a reorganization plan to exit its bankruptcy that will be funded in part by an undisclosed settlement it reached with one of its insurers earlier this month.
The withdrawal of the Vatican’s “nihil obstat” or “no objection” to Dolan’s plan to move the $57 million into a newly created trust could allow creditors’ attorneys to pursue those funds for a potential settlement.
In 2007, Dolan sought Vatican approval to move the funds to protect them “from any legal claim or liability,” according to a document released in July as part of the bankruptcy.
“It’s apparent from the tone of Dolan’s letter that his intent in moving the money was in anticipation of the bankruptcy,” said Monica Barrett, a SNAP member who says she was raped by the late Father William Effinger at his Lake Geneva parish when she was 8.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.