BishopAccountability.org
	Priests Asked to Give $1,000 Union Leader October 7, 2006 http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Priests+asked+to+give+% 241%2C000&articleId=2e61d7da-3ada-4162-9982-e0d732851de8 Manchester – A dozen Roman Catholic clergy are reaching out to fellow priests who are sick, retired or were stripped of their ministry for sexually abusing minors, offering support and financial aid to any who need it. "We do not want to forget them," the Rev. Michael J. Griffin wrote in a letter mailed this week to all priests in the Diocese of Manchester inviting them to join the newly formed Organization of Concerned Priests. The independent group registered as a non-profit organization and is asking all diocesan priests to donate to a "Mercy Fund" that would be available to these unassigned priests with legitimate financial needs, members said. They ask priests to contribute whatever they can afford, but request a minimum $1,000 donation. "It's trying to show our solidarity with one another, no matter what one's status is," said Monsignor Thomas J. Hannigan, pastor of St. Catherine Church in Manchester and one of the group's founding board members. The Organization of Concerned Priests evolved out of discussions that started in spring 2005 when "we began to sympathize with the men involved in the scandal," said Griffin, who was ordained a priest 57 years ago and now is retired and working as chaplain at Saint Ann Healthcare Center in Dover. "We could not imagine how we could have coped if we were in their shoes," said Griffin, who is the group's president. While its initial intent was to help priests removed from ministry for child sexual abuse, the group expanded to include sick and retired priests, he said. Hannigan estimates more than 100 unassigned priests fall into these categories. • 3 priests removed from ministry live at Bishop Peterson Bishop John B. McCormack is aware of the project, but has not endorsed it in any way, said the Rev. Edward J. Arsenault, the bishop's delegate for ministerial conduct. "This is a personal initiative of these priests," he said. Griffin said the group is working with the Rev. Richard B. Thompson, who he said is the bishop's representative to priests stripped of their ministry for disciplinary reasons. Thompson did not return a call for comment yesterday. "The whole thing is about being merciful to people. Some made a big mistake. I'm sure some said they are sorry. And we just want to be of assistance to some who are in financial need," Griffin said. Still, how many need help is unknown, Hannigan said. "Personally, I don't think there are too many ... It's a very private matter," he said. Hannigan said the group will contact unassigned clergy to determine if any need assistance. Retired priests receive a $1,300 monthly pension and most also receive Social Security and are covered by Medicare, Hannigan said. The diocese provides a stipend and insurance coverage to some disciplined priests, Griffin said. Defrocked, or laicized, priests are entitled to no financial assistance from the church. Since the clergy sexual abuse scandal became public in 2002, the diocese publicly announced just two priests were defrocked. The diocese also has a clergy sick fund to help ailing priests. A 12-member board of directors will administer the "Mercy Fund," Griffin and Hannigan said. If they find the money no longer is needed, they will transfer it to the diocese's clergy sick fund, they said. Besides offering financial aid, the group aims to be a support group for unassigned priests so that "no priest will be left by himself," Griffin said. "It's easy for them to get lost in the shuffle and forgotten about," Griffin said. Griffin said the group's objective to support priests stripped of their ministry for sexually abusing children is not intended to diminish the pain survivors of that abuse have suffered. "Are you familiar with the parable of the prodigal son?" he asked, noting the parable's message of forgiveness.
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