Catholic Church: Emmence Wealth But No Cash for Sex Abuse Victims

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The Royal Commission investigating sex abuse within the Roman Catholic Church in Australia has identified the true God of the Vatican and the Church hierarchy: money and wealth.  In diocese after diocese one sees claims of poverty as excuses for not paying just compensation to sex abuse victims.  Here in the USA, we see dioceses filing for bankruptcy and disingenuously claiming that parish properties and other diocese assets do not actually belong to the diocese all in order to re-victimize those who have suffered sexual abuse at the hands of clergy, often with the aiding and abetting of members of the Church hierarchy.  The Australian looks at the dishonest and hypocrisy of the Diocese of Sydney.  Here are excerpts:

It was the first time the wealth of the church has been revealed as the royal commission into institutional responses to child sex abuse delved into its finances and examined the church’s response to victims.

The archdiocese’s cash reserves are $321 million and the church has been making a profit of up to $43 million a year through investments since 2001.

But the commission has been told that, instead of settling former altar boy John Ellis’s sexual abuse claim for the $100,000 he asked for, it offered him just $30,000 and then spent $1.5 million fighting him in court. Most claims are settled for between $50,000 and $70,000.

The money maze was unveiled as the archdiocese’s business manager, Danny Casey, gave evidence to the commission yesterday.

The funds are ultimately controlled by the archbishop, who since 2001 has been Cardinal George Pell.

Since then, the church had increased its net asset base by 86 per cent from $103 million to $193 million, the commission was told.  In the same time, just $5.5 million has been paid to victims of sexual abuse by church clerics.

The diocese’s wealth has remained a secret to anyone outside a few within the church hierarchy because it is generally not required to file its affairs with any outside agency such as the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.

Mr Casey said that the church’s funds were income tax exempt and capital gains tax free as charities, although it was liable to pay stamp duty on some transactions.

He said that, as at the end of last year, the archdiocese had $810 million in the Catholic Development Fund, which he said operated as an “internal treasury” for the archdiocese.  That included the $321 million cash reserves.

Mr Casey said he believed that the $30,000 the Catholic Church offered to Mr Ellis was entirely and completely inadequate.

Cardinal Pell will return to the witness box today to continue his evidence before he leaves for Rome to take up a senior post in the Vatican.

Note how now that things are heating up in Australia Cardinal Pell will be moved to the Vatican and outside the reach of Australian authorities.  It is the same thing that was done with Cardinal Law of Boston when it became obvious that Law might face criminal prosecution.  For those who want to believe that change is coming under Pope Francis, this is proof that nothing has really changed whatsoever.  Talk is cheap.  It is actions that count, and so far Francis has failed to act in any meaningful manner.