BishopAccountability.org
	Building Trust Editorial Times Argus May 23, 2006 http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article? AID=/20060523/NEWS/605230324/1021/EDUCATION05 Vermont's Catholic Church last week announced it hopes to put certain assets out reach of plaintiffs in sexual abuse lawsuits by placing them into charitable trusts. In a letter to his 118,000 members, Bishop Salvatore Matano said he felt it necessary to "do everything possible to protect our parishes and the interests of the faithful from unbridled, unjust and terribly unreasonable assault." That statement, he later explained, was not intended to be critical of people who had filed lawsuits against the Church alleging sexual abuse, but rather a reference to "a legal system that sometimes places us in a position where we can't really reach out in justice to all parties." Frankly, we think the Bishop's explanation is as unsatisfactory as his actions. Coming on the heels of the Church's attempt to remove the presiding judge in the first priest misconduct trial from hearing any of the 19 new lawsuits that have been filed, the attempt to shield its assets does it no credit. Bishop Matano is rightly concerned about the possible impact of jury awards on the Church's finances and the stability — or even the existence — of Vermont's 128 parishes. It is an understandable impulse to want to protect them. And it is understandable that the Church would take steps through the court system to ensure it receives a fair hearing in the lawsuits. However, the Church is not like other defendants. It has stature and power unlike any other institution, and with that comes a higher standard of responsibility. A great wrong was done to many people by some of the officers of the Church, both in Vermont and elsewhere. Lives were shattered, leaving deep emotional and spiritual wounds that have, in many cases, not yet healed. This tragedy was compounded by the attitude of the Church hierarchy, which ignored what was happening or even, in some cases, moved to protect the perpetrators. The Church, which represents faith, respect and commitment to a clear moral code, did not just fail its members in this scandal. It turned its back on the innocent and the helpless in order to protect the powerful and the evil. In short, it committed a breach of faith. For that, the Church must assume responsibility, seek forgiveness and promote healing. This will be a long and painful process, one that would have been unnecessary had the Catholic Church asserted proper responsibility in the first place. We do not believe the Church should be raked over the legal coals eternally, as it were, nor should plaintiffs cripple the institution through their claims, but a just resolution must be found in each case of proven abuse. The Church is an institution of vast resources. Perhaps the Burlington Diocese cannot shoulder the full responsibility for the appropriate penalties alone, and the national hierarchy will need to step in. But somehow, the Church must make it clear it is prepared to right the wrong that occurred. The Church, a place of solace and protection and a source of moral and practical guidance for thousands of Vermonters, must work to re-build the kind of trust that is the underpinning of its authority, not create trusts to shield itself from the possible penalties of past misuse of that authority.
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