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	Candor from the Cardinal Editorial Hartford Courant [Boston MA] May 3, 2006 http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-openbooks.art may03,0,7900436.story?coll=hc-headlines-editorials Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Boston, has taken a major step toward healing the wounds of mistrust inflicted by the sexual abuse scandal that resulted in the resignation of his predecessor, Cardinal Bernard Law. The archdiocese opened its books to the public, lancing a painful wound. Disclosure is the only way for the church to assuage fears that money paid out to victims of priest abuse came from parishioners' donations or savings from the closing of 62 parishes. It did not. The books show a whopping $150 million was paid in settlements and other costs associated with the scandal. As a result of this expenditure, as well as shrinking donations in the wake of the scandal, the Boston Archdiocese has amassed a $46 million deficit. That is believed to be the largest deficit of any diocese ever. Most of the settlement money came from selling buildings, including the archbishop's residence, insurance and disposal of properties not related to parish closings. Personnel reductions and further cost-cutting, including more possible parish closings, are proposed. At the risk of diminishing Cardinal O'Malley's welcome openness, it should be noted that it came after an unsuccessful push in the Massachusetts legislature to require financial disclosure by religious organizations as a condition of their tax-exempt status. Also, there was considerable pressure to restore confidence in the archdiocese, given parish closings and donations falling off by the millions of dollars. Still, Cardinal O'Malley's leadership is a refreshing departure from the past. Financial disclosure was more extensive than hoped for, with the accounting of schools and Catholic Charities included. Cardinal O'Malley pledged an end to secrecy and displayed remarkable candor in an interview with the Boston Globe. This is a promising new beginning.
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