For immediate release:
CONTACT:
Sandy Stilling Seehausen
President: Chicagoland Voice of the Faithful (VOTF)
847-987-8188
slstillsee@aol.com
Chicagoland Voice of the Faithful Response to Archdiocesan Sex Abuse Settlement.
Chicagoland Voice of the Faithful is grateful that this settlement of 12.6 plus million dollars was finally reached. We applaud the courageous survivors who came forth to continue to speak the truth to the world and the attorneys who fought for justice for them. We, too, hope this settlement will indeed help somewhat in their healing from “soul murder.”
Questions remain: How many more victims are out there? How will these victims be treated? Will anything change or will the Archdiocese fight tooth and nail until it is seen they cannot “win” in court and therefore offer financial settlements? No amount of money or countless apologies can ever make up for the harm caused the innocent victims.
Besides the 65 million dollars admittedly paid out to date by the Archdiocese, what is the true cost for clergy sexual abuse and failure to protect innocent children? How much has been spent on “hush money”? How much has been spent on costly lawyers to defend the Archdiocese? Who of the guilty accomplices have lost their jobs? To say that the settlement monies “do not come from donations” presupposes that the laity are stupid, for surely the properties sold were donated by someone.
We in the Archdiocese of Chicago will no longer be lulled into trusting our appointed leader by apologies and financial payouts. We may begin to have confidence in church leaders when they are more accountable to the laity by being more forthcoming and transparent in all their financial and pastoral transactions. Perhaps it can be said that Cardinal George has made a small step in that direction, but not without additional actions in Chicago and as elected leader of the USCCB in holding guilty bishops accountable. Finally, the Cardinal used the same words as the Pope who said that “we must continue to do everything in our power to ensure the safety of the children in our care.” That would include supporting SOL reform in Springfield and cease sending lobbyists to Springfield to stop SOL reform.
