Chicago Cardinal unveils his sworn depositon
The Catholic archdiocese of Chicago has agreed to sixteen victims and survivors of sexual abuse by eleven priests, and the Cardinal Archbishop of Chicago, Francis George, has made public the text of his sworn deposition. (Full text .)The Chicago Tribune story begins bluntly, but accurately: 'The sexual abuse of children happened on his watch.' To date, the archdiocese of Chicago has paid our more than $77 million in settlements to more than 250 victims and survivors.
Last November, Cardinal George was elected president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, so the disclosure of a sworn deposition by so senior a prelate represents a very significant gesture towards the kind of openness many victims groups have been calling for. The details of previous settlements have been sealed.
Nevertheless, what emerges in this 305-page transcript is a pattern of crisis mismanagement, failure to act and sometimes an attempted cover-up. The archdiocese's vicar for priests, Fr Edward Grace, a qualified lawyer, even coached clergy to deny allegations.
Comment number 1.
At 16th Aug 2008, MarcusAureliusII wrote:Now who wants to put money in the collection plate to help defray the costs of the legal settlements? Just how much is going to church worth to you?
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Comment number 2.
At 16th Aug 2008, MarcusAureliusII wrote:It's clear why religious leaders don't want sex education taught in the public schools. By maintaining a monopoly on it, they can teach it in a way they think most appropriate.
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