49 Comments

• eiriamach | Jun 14, 2012, 02:10 PM EDT

  Kit Marlowe, the USCCB's 2011 John Jay five-study was not the only report released by the bishops last year. I drew from their one-year data in "The 2011 Annual Report on the Implementation of the 'Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People'” on cases from 2010. All these reports are available on line. I don't invent statistics about child abuse cases. I avoided the skewed data in the John Jay report, which has received heavy criticism for its pretense that 10-year-old boys are post-puberty and its inane conclusion that, therefore, the men who abused them were homosexuals rather than pedophiles! This trumpery, along with the John Jay Report's "Woodstock excuse," renders it useless except as a PR ploy. It would be strange indeed if homosexual priests had such a high rate of child rape in contrast to other homosexuals, who have an exceptionally low rate of sexual violence and rape. Your moral relativism in attributing the Church's shame to the social environment is not nearly as offensive as your anti-Semitic slander.

• Kit Marlowe | Jun 08, 2012, 03:51 PM EDT

  The scandal in the church was caused by homosexual pederasts who have a long history of abusing young boys. It is interesting that Los Leandros cites a genuine source for his facts, (the Jay College Report), and eiriamach pretends to refute him by pulling facts out of his...hat. Here's another resource: "The Rite of Sodomy" by Randy Engel. It's 1300 pages, exhaustively researched and footnoted. At the heart of the scandal is the homosexual infiltration into the Church, and the Church fathers had long warned against this WELL KNOWN PROBLEM. Obfuscators will continue to lie despite the obvious evidence. Meanwhile society continues its moral spiral downward, watching satanic rituals during the superbowl half-time and being enslaved by international Jewish bankers.

• BrianO | Jun 08, 2012, 02:35 PM EDT

  I think Los leandros point is that these predators shanly,geoghan and the like were homosexual pedophiles, for a male homosexual rapist it is a good place to infiltrate, You live among men, you attain knowledge and power while planning your crimes. You hide behind the good works of others and all you have to do is lie and believe there is no God.

• Bythebay | Jun 06, 2012, 02:37 PM EDT

  Dolan and his ilk will be the downfall of the Catholic church.

• seamus60 | Jun 06, 2012, 06:39 AM EDT

  eiriamach. Good post. I don`t think the percentages matter all that much. One case is enough to suffice. A cover up is exactly that and beyond defence.

• eiriamach | Jun 05, 2012, 03:09 PM EDT

  Los Leandros, before you post, you should try to get your facts right; the facts are nearly opposite to what you've written. A full 20% of the victims in the USCCB's 2011 report were UNDER THE AGE OF 10! The largest percentage, 53%, were between 10 and 14. Do you really think that most 11-year-old boys are post-pubertal? No, you can't blame those rapes on homosexual priests; the rapists in the vast majority of cases were pedophiles. Only 20% of the victims were age 15 to 17-- Fact! And how are these facts relevant to the article on Dolan? Is it OK for a diocesan administrator to protect a rogue priest if he is having sex with post-pubertal youth? Can you really believe that even the 20% who may have been post-pubertal were "consenting" partners rather than victims of abuse? Do you know what "gullible" means?

• Los Leandros | Jun 05, 2012, 01:15 PM EDT

  Maximum respect to Cardinal Dolan for standing up to the NYT bullies. Just to reiterate, according to the reputable John Jay College report, the vast majority ( over 90% ) of abusers in the Catholic Church were predatory homosexual, not paedophile - facts is facts, as we say in Ireland. Incidentally recent horrific figures of the deaths of children in the " care " of the Irish state were revealed ; with hardly a murmer from the Irish media. Hopefully the Irish Church will learn from Cardinal Dolan, and tell the State to get it's own house in order before lecturing others.

• seamus60 | Jun 05, 2012, 12:49 PM EDT

  HermitTalker. The church has had ample time, numerous inquiries, internal investigations etc etc to get its act together, yet still churns out the arogance that it got by on, for too long. Innocence of all the booty in one pot another consequence of the above. We can accuse anyone of twisting stories etc. What strength in any thing the church has already compiled by not allowing the victims any input. We can hardly blame legalities or the culture of claims that exist in the present day. They are a seperate issue and one the church would have got to terms with earlier had they relised their santuary to peadophiles was about to be exposed.

• seamus60 | Jun 05, 2012, 12:32 PM EDT

  Tom, Thanks for you post. It is indeed deeper than I had invisaged.

• eiriamach | Jun 05, 2012, 11:38 AM EDT

  SNAP does not need credibility (although they have it with me), hermitTalker. SNAP brought the *material evidence* in this case-- documents included in the Archdiocese bankruptcy filing-- to public view. Those documents tell the facts of the case against Cardinal Dolan. Now, if you have some COUNTER-EVIDENCE, let's hear it! Otherwise, your claim that the news reports "twist the facts, spin the stories and lie" is nothing more than a wearying sour-grapes complaint about damaging news that you can do nothing about. Nothing? Actually, confession, repentance and reform by church officials might do some good, but no guarantees at this point. As for your suggestion that the Archdiocese was right to fraudulently transfer money because the victims of abusive priests deserve NO financial compensation whereas the abusive priests DO deserve their retirement pay and defense funds, let's put that to a vote!

• hermitTalker | Jun 05, 2012, 10:57 AM EDT

  How can we exercise freedom of speech and religion IF the axe-grinders are able to twist the facts, spin the stories and lie when the facts are ignored. Seems so many on here have minds made up, facts optional. SNAP credible?? Their own statements and the expose of their national meeting by a plant proved that. Catholic dioceses had to set up Foundations to protest their retirement funds and special other monies to save them from open season by the lawyers. The bishops had innocently kept them in one Big Pot trusting the law and the Constitution. The civil law allows specific exemptions legally to avoid being sued and thrown out on the street by snake lawsuits.

• irishpjk | Jun 04, 2012, 11:47 PM EDT

  New Yorh Times where is the proof? Name names and dates.

• hollabackgurl | Jun 04, 2012, 11:09 PM EDT

  All of those payoffs are in the past and we're ready to be your moral guardians again, OK?

• tombegs | Jun 04, 2012, 11:07 PM EDT

  Hello Seamus60 I have to say that during the "Glory Days" of Bernie Law may he RIP in Rome, the horrors of the training these predators received in the seminary was exposed. Given the reports, they should all burn in Hell. The names are legion. Best one: Shanley. Don't forget Geoghan and the people who kept him in the seminary in spite of the issues raised by his superiors while he "studied" there.

• tombegs | Jun 04, 2012, 10:49 PM EDT

  One: PLEASE provide me with one example when DODO Dolan demonstrated similar "charity" to the victims of sexual abuse of children by ordained priests? Would welcome that information even if it would not change my mind about DODO. Second, no where in his screed do I detect the slightest hint of a denial that those founds were indeed spent, Does anyone know if those pedophiles received more funds from DODO?

• borefield | Jun 04, 2012, 10:46 PM EDT

  James, don't mess with Cardinal Dolan, you will loose. You do not have the ethics or honesty to make the claims you are making. Give it up.

• peterquinn | Jun 04, 2012, 10:37 PM EDT

  Just when you think it can't get any worse, it does. I thought that no prelate could be more tone deaf than Edward Cardinal Egan. Timothy Cardinal Dolan has proved me wrong.

• Maggie47 | Jun 04, 2012, 10:15 PM EDT

  Dr. McHugh, Did you report this to the authorites? if not you are just as guilty.

• Maggie47 | Jun 04, 2012, 09:53 PM EDT

  Isn't he a disgrace. You said it for me mayoman.

• mayoman | Jun 04, 2012, 09:14 PM EDT

  Sorry Cardinal, but semantics just won't cut it, Call it "charity" or a pay-off, or whatever you like; it still stinks. It says: "Take the money and get lost". Bashing SNAP and The New York Times is a cheap tactic. The Cardinal should recall what Pope John the 23rd once said: "There is no defense against the truth."

• SingleDonald | Jun 04, 2012, 08:35 PM EDT

  I, for one, accept Cardinal Dolan's position. The Milwaukee pedophiles were discovered, and fired (kicked out of the priesthood), as well they should have been. Archbishop Dolan didn't shuffle them off to other parishes, the way other bishops have done. In a company, those who do wrong are sometimes given severence pay, so they can be tided over, until finding new employment. I see these $20,000 payments in a similar light. SNAP should consider the latest news about pedophiles in the Orthodox Jewish Community, in Brooklyn, N.Y. District Attorney Charles "Joe" Hynes is quietly going after them, and making steady progress. He is being criticised for keeping the names of the perpetrators quiet, as he doesn't want the abused kids to be threatened. It seems as though this Orthodox Community operates the way the Mafia does, in intimidating witnesses! Joe Hynes' approach may be unorthodox, but, under the circumstances, justified.

• seanomelb | Jun 04, 2012, 07:06 PM EDT

  It would appear Dolan would rather condemn the abused and give monetary"charity" to the abusers what a hypocrite.

• OmahaSeamus | Jun 04, 2012, 06:55 PM EDT

  So payoffs to child molesters is charity. That's why the nuns are in trouble with the bishops and the Vatican. Their charity helps the poor, not the evil.

• jamthecat | Jun 04, 2012, 06:33 PM EDT

  He makes the devil proud, Dolan does.

• Bythebay | Jun 04, 2012, 05:41 PM EDT

  Dolan will blast any news source that doesn't support his warped actions.

• bbj3212 | Jun 04, 2012, 04:55 PM EDT

  TRUTH, that is what is demanded in these issues not spin and prevarication, failure to protect the innocent is a criminal act. Yet another 'prince of the church' allegedly complicit in a cover up - God help us all.

• Brolaur | Jun 04, 2012, 04:51 PM EDT

  There's an old saying that when you find yourself in a hole stop digging. I'm sure Timmy has heard of it. Stop digging Tim. Start apologising to the victims and don't stop 'til your last breath. Whatever about SNAP not having credibility that should not be your concern. You, Timmy boy, have NONE!!

• seamus60 | Jun 04, 2012, 04:22 PM EDT

  Seanmor. It would a much worse indictment to think any of these rogue priests were uncovered before their ordination and allowed to take their vows. Only time will tell. Such a shame that some people are prepared to attack anyone involved in the fullest exposure available to them on the subject regardless of who the perps are or who they belong to.

• JudyJones | Jun 04, 2012, 04:14 PM EDT

  Cardinal Dolan, can you please tell us what the difference is between a 'payoff' and 'charity'..? These child predators should have been fired, without pay, and sent to police.. they committed crimes against innocent kids. Judy Jones, SNAP Midwest Associate Director, 636-433-2511 (SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world's oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 12,000 members. Despite the word "priest" in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers and increasingly, victims who were assaulted in a wide range of institutional settings like summer camps, athletic programs, Boy Scouts, etc).

• seamus60 | Jun 04, 2012, 04:14 PM EDT

  Charlie50. from faith and the moral truth given to us by God. Then taken away by peadophile priests and their superiors who shelter them.

• DrMcHugh | Jun 04, 2012, 03:40 PM EDT

  Dolan fumed, “SNAP has no credibility whatsoever.” I totally disagree with Cardinal Dolan. As a Catholic physician who has met many who have been sexually abused by priests, I have great respect for the work that David Clohessy and Barbara Blaine are doing in the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP). My question to Cardinal Dolan is: "Why are the American hierarchy still wasting the money of the faithful by defending predator priests in court? Why not admit the truth and make the predator priests accountable? By not making the predator priests accountable, more innocent children are at risk of being sexually abused by clergy, and the hierarchy are complicit in that abuse. If the American hierarchy were Good Shepherds, they would be working with SNAP to rid the church of predator priests, because the focus of SNAP is to protect innocent children and vulnerable adults from clergy sexual abuse. Sincerely, Dr Rosemary Eileen McHugh, Chicago

• patrickesq | Jun 04, 2012, 03:37 PM EDT

  I doubt that there will be any substantial change in the vision and vitality of the Church given their insular hierarchic structure. Each diocese should have a democratically elected board of directors, lay people and priests(no bishops) who would have to approve the appointment of all bishops, with power to remove any who fail to perform as a true leader in fostering Christian values and charity.

• eiriamach | Jun 04, 2012, 03:17 PM EDT

  It doesn't matter whether Clohessy has an ulterior motive. His motive is irrelevant unless you think he fabricated the evidence (clearly, the evidence is genuine). SNAP brought the incriminating documents from the bankruptcy case to public attention. It's TOO LATE to expect that attacking SNAP's or Clohessy's credibility will have any impact. The documents are the smoking gun. Deal with the FACTS.

• Nicomax | Jun 04, 2012, 02:27 PM EDT

  The Catholic Church needs a major PR overhaul. They should be calling in some of the top image makers to see what can be done to overcome the damage of the rest of the world seeing only plump, costumed white men expounding on the correct moral values for all of us, while fumbling the cover-up of their own criminal misdeeds.

• PhlutiePhan | Jun 04, 2012, 02:05 PM EDT

  I support T.D. on this issue. Clohessy just lost a lot of his credibility. Because he was molested, he wants to exact retribution on every Catholic priest and especially on those who are charged and may or may not be guilty.

• markday | Jun 04, 2012, 02:01 PM EDT

  Thank God Timothy Dolan's honeymoon with the press is over. Matt Lauer gushed all over him, and so did Newsweek. Now we can see him for the bully and company man that he is. S.N.A.P. (survivor's network) has a thousand percent more credibilitiy than he has. When you put together the payouts to the pedophiles to the trnsference of archdiocese funds to avoid paying the victims of clerical sex abuse--that's one hell of an indictment for this prince of the church. From now on the press should scrutinize his every move.

• handsome68 | Jun 04, 2012, 01:46 PM EDT

  If, as you wrote above, "Dolan, who is now in Ireland on a week’s visit," then who was that big fella officiating just yesterday afternoon at the Mass of Final Profession for five Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal, at the Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel? I was in that audience. Whether the celebrant was the Cardinal's clone, pod, doppelgänger, or bi-located self, he did a credible job.

• eiriamach | Jun 04, 2012, 01:37 PM EDT

  How can anyone call these NEWS reports a "war against the church"? Documents exist! The documents are material evidence that 1) As Archbishop, Dolan paid $20,000 each to priests accused of sexual child abuse; 2) Dolan arranged for their permanent pensions of $1,250 plus health insurance if they did not have health insurance from another job; 3) Dolan shifted funds from diocesan accounts so that he could file for bankruptcy protection, which was at the same time protection from having to pay victims compensation: The archdiocese had already paid $16 million in compensation to victims of just TWO of the accused priests. Now if the documents exist-- and it would be foolhardy, downright crazy, for so many newspapers to publish this information without documentary evidence-- then the situation is a war of the Catholic Church against itself, not an outside conspiracy against Dolan, who signed or approved the relevant documents and payments. At the very least, everyone is free to evaluate Cardinal Dolan's comment "in response to a reporter’s question at the time that the payment was 'an act of charity,' so that Mr. Becker [one of the accused priests] could pay for health insurance" --NY Times, Laurie Goodstein, "In Milwaukee Post, Cardinal Authorized Paying Abusers" May 30, 2012. Remember, Dolan arranged separately to pay Becker's health insurance. Lies, lies, lies.... but lies are not the worst of it.

• Bythebay | Jun 04, 2012, 01:31 PM EDT

  Vets don't protect free speech, the US Constitution does. Inflated egos to think they're responsible for that.

• BulldogMania | Jun 04, 2012, 12:36 PM EDT

  @ Murph46 I, too, am a US vet, 4 years in the Marines. What I meant, this trial, as with many, saw many pieces of evidence excluded by the trial judge...and when this happens, unfortunately, to safeguard Constitutional guarantees afforded to a defendant, a guilty person will go free. For example, evidence that a judge rules is to be suppressed because it was obtained illegally, like a gun, proved to be the murder weapon in testing. That's why I say he is guilty, but the jury, may reach a different conclusion based on what evidence they were presented vs. all the exists.

• BronxNYC | Jun 04, 2012, 11:53 AM EDT

  So SNAP has no credibilty but the worlds largest organized ring of pedophiles does?? Mr. Dolans psychiatric issues can no longer be kept confidentiall, for hos own sake.

• johnozed | Jun 04, 2012, 11:46 AM EDT

  "derive enormous pleasure from villifying Cardinal Dolan and other prelates who oppose Obama's attempts to impose new financial burdens on the Roman Church." You mean to say there were 'older' financial burdens on the church? I had no idea that paying no taxes whatsoever was a financial burden.

• Murph46 | Jun 04, 2012, 11:42 AM EDT

  Irespect the jury decision-but this man is guilty.I guess that's why I am a Vet,to have protected your right of free speech.

• BulldogMania | Jun 04, 2012, 11:31 AM EDT

  The jury is out in the Philadelphia sex abuse criminal case. It is the FIRST case in the nation charging a senior cleric with knowingly endangering the lives of children by not reporting their crimes to civil authorities. If Msgr. Lynn is found guilty he faces 10 to 20 years in prison. I will respect the jury decision, but this man is guilty.

• badolan | Jun 04, 2012, 11:00 AM EDT

  1. Robbie69 post below is very interesting. 2. "Charity" or "pay off" what's the difference?

• Seanmor | Jun 04, 2012, 11:00 AM EDT

  The New York Times and other elements of the mass media seem to derive enormous pleasure from villifying Cardinal Dolan and other prelates who oppose Obama's attempts to impose new financial burdens on the Roman Church. It is true that the Constitution allows freedom of the press, but it also guaranteed religious liberty. However, the R.C. Church is not entirely blameles for the shameful behavior of some priests. It should never have ordained these unworthy clerics in the first place.

• charlie50 | Jun 04, 2012, 10:57 AM EDT

  Being "fair" is no longer valid when it comes to the Catholic Church. This is now war against the Church, against the moral message she stands for in spite of the few devils in sheep's clothing who managed to get through the seminaries to exploit others. These devils in sheep's clothing are everywhere in our culture: education, medicine, boys and girls clubs, government,and FAMILIES especially ...more prevalent than in the Church, statistically. The media uses this issue to hammer against the door of the Catholic church, not so much because they are so scandalized about nature of the heinous sin, and heinous it is!...but to silence the moral message that the Church-proper upholds in order to destroy the power of her moral authority as defender of the gospel truth. There is a movement afoot in the media that has a conscious agenda to incite hatred toward the Church. They are doing an effective job so far. False accusations also are plentiful as a malicious tactic to discredit the Church amid the real offences and smear campaigns. I fear that many Catholics do not perceive what is on the horizon. May I suggest the recently released movie "For Greater Glory" about the Christero war in Mexico? This is where we are headed in just a few years if we allow the Church to be sifted and continue our movement away from faith and the moral truth given to us by God.

• hermitTalker | Jun 04, 2012, 10:55 AM EDT

  Typical of the so-called free as in "liberal" media.As to what happened in Milwaukee check facts about funds, there would be no problem if the lawyers and victims were all concerned about fairness, truth and justice and not let $$$$$ signs blind them, aided by SNAP with its special understanding of justice, Jesus and Church.

• Robbie69 | Jun 04, 2012, 10:39 AM EDT

  Pay-offs to pedophile priests is one thing. When Dolan was archbishop of the Milwaukee Diocese, he transferred diocesan funds to a "cemetery fund" so the victims of priest-pedophiles would not be able to get their hands on the cash. After the transfer, the diocese filed for protection from its creditors in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. The transfer amounts to fraud. So for Dolan to now claim that he has integrity is laughable. Let the bully rant on, without actually responding to the charges, just attacking the messenger of this news.