Pastor's Pen - August 23, 2015

SEXUAL ABUSE BANKRUPTCY SETTLEMENT

In mid!July, a fourth try at bankruptcy mediation was held
between the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the legal representatives
of the sexual abuse victims of the past 50 years. This time a
settlement with the Archdiocese of Milwaukee for $21 million
was agreed upon by both sides. This settlement is not a victory for anyone, but it is a relief and closure both for the abused and for the Archdiocese, which has been in bankruptcy for over four and a half years because of the crimes of some of its priests. The
grief associated with the abuse of children by priests will never go away and shouldn’t be forgotten. 

As a further part of the settlement each parish of the Archdiocese has agreed to voluntarily donate $2,500 to a “therapy fund” for victims to use into the future. The total of those donations will
amount to over $500,000. The Archdiocese has promised to never let that fund be depleted as long as victims are in need of therapy. The compensation for each of the 330+ substantiated victims is modest, but hopefully enough assistance to help them to move on with their lives. And with the closure of the bankruptcy, hopefully the Archdiocesan mission can go on. There is such a
need for the charitable, educational and spiritual work that the Archdiocese provides.

It may also be helpful to note where the $21 million is coming from. Nearly $11 million is coming from insurance companies, $8 million is being voluntarily donated from the Archdiocesan Cemetery Trust to settle pending litigation, and almost $3 million is being loaned to the Archdiocese from the Cemetery Trust to make up the difference. 

The settlement plan is not final until it is first submitted to Chief Judge Susan Kelly of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court on August 24 and she rules on the plan in early November. Many of the details in
the settlement involved a lot of give-and-take. For example, once the parishes agreed to support a therapy fund, the legal representatives of the victims (the creditors’ committee) agreed to
never pursue action against any individual parish.  In the meantime and into the future, please pray for the acceptance of this settlement by the court. Pray also for the victims and their continual healing and for no such evil to ever happen again. (Many of you know that all priests, deacons,
pastoral staff members, and any other parish employees and volunteers that work with children must participate in a background check and go through special “Safeguard” training.) 

Regarding the $21 Million Settlement, go to the August 6 edition of The Catholic Herald,


www.catholicherald.org, or www.archmil.org for links to further news. 
 


   
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions! 
Blessings! Fr. Ralph