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COMMENTARY
LETTER to our Bishop
Letter to Bishop Coleman from VOTF Upper Cape,
MA/diocese
of Fall River MA:
Dear Bishop Coleman,
The Archdiocese of Boston, under the leadership
of Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, set the example
for increased financial transparency by posting annual
audited reports. The dioceses of Springfield and Worcester
likewise post annual audited reports. Unlike all of
the other Dioceses in Massachusetts, the Diocese of
Fall River, under your leadership, does not.
While the Code of Canon Law does not require assurances
to the laity that there are appropriate internal controls
in place to ensure transparency and accountability,
Robert West, Ph. D. and Charles Zech, Ph. D. of Villanova
University suggest in their research, summarized in
Internal Financials Controls in the US Catholic Church,
that such assurances in the form of audited financial
reports would go a long way in dealing with issues
of embezzlement and would in fact encourage greater
generosity on the part of church goers.
Embezzlement cases involving laypeople as well
as priests exist in parishes throughout the United
States.
Similar problems have surfaced close to home at Saint
Joseph’s Parish in Woods Hole and at Our Lady
of Lourdes Parish in Wellfleet.
In January 2007, the accounting practices committee,
who advise the United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops, called for tighter internal controls over
finances in the nation’s more than 19,000 parishes.
The committee recommended that the parish priest, in
conjunction with the parish financial council, prepare
budgets and financial statements for the benefit of
parishioners and the diocese to which they belong.
We urge you to follow the example of neighboring dioceses
in publishing audited statements and moving forward
with your stated goal of having an effective financial
council in every parish in the diocese. We offer our
services to that end.
Respectfully,
Diocesan Issues Committee
Voice of The Faithful, Cape Cod
Kathy Cronin, Gerry Hart, Maureen Fessenden and Robert
Moll
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