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January 27, 2003 FADICA Group Encouraged By Church Steps Toward Financial Disclosure Naples, FL ----- The Board of Directors of FADICA gathered here January 24-25 for its mid-winter meeting expressed encouragement over new moves by Catholic agencies and a major archdiocese toward greater financial transparency. FADICA’s president, Francis J. Butler, said the organization’s board which last June requested that U.S. dioceses reveal the costs of the clerical sexual abuse of minors, was “optimistic that actions in the Archdioceses of Chicago and Baltimore in particular, will influence the decisions of the nation’s Catholic bishops to end the practice of financial secrecy surrounding this distressing chapter in church history.” The Archdiocese of Chicago released a comprehensive report on January 16, summarizing its response to sexual abuse of minors by archdiocesan priests. In the past 10 years, $16.8 million has been spent on victim assistance and settlements, on therapy for victims and priests and on legal fees. Last September, the Archdiocese of Baltimore revealed that it has paid $4.1 million for its settlements as well as $419,186 over the past 15 years for psychological counseling for victims. An additional 1.1 million was paid for legal expenses, living expenses of suspended priests and their psychiatric and medical treatment. In addition to Chicago and Baltimore, several dioceses, including Belleville, Worcester, Phoenix, Joliet, Manchester and Portland Me have reported clergy sexual abuse costs. However, the vast majority of the 177 Latin Rite U.S. dioceses are still without such disclosures. Last October, FADICA working with Gallup Organization found that sixty five percent of parish Catholics agree that the church should be more accountable on finances while 68% nationally favored an annual independent audit of dioceses with the results released publicly. “FADICA also found positive the news announced by the new National Office of Child and Youth Protection at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops,” said Dr. Butler. “The Office will require a public disclosure of financial costs incurred by dioceses in connection with clergy related child abuse as a condition of conducting a review of church compliance with the new national plan to prevent child abuse,” he noted. “As current litigation involving the church points in the direction of overwhelming financial challenges and even bankruptcy, it will be more important than ever that bishops maintain the confidence of church donors in the pew,” Dr. Butler asserted. “It is hard to imagine this happening today without intentional efforts to create a new atmosphere of transparency and trust,” Mr. Butler said. FADICA is a consortium of nearly fifty foundations and donors. It functions as continuing education forum on Catholic philanthropy and trains younger foundation trustees who are entering the world of religious philanthropy. |