Not.
Again.
These were the two words that came to my mind as I sat at my kitchen table on Monday, August 14th, sipping a freshly brewed cup of decaf coffee, scrolling through the Catholic news as I do every morning to start my work day, and seeing so many beautiful articles and pictures about World Youth Day. These pictures of young people filled with joy and hope also filled me with joy and hope for the future of the Church. At least, for a moment.
And then I saw it. “Philadelphia archdiocese settles abuse case against a deceased priest for $3.5 million.”
My archdiocese? Mine?
Not.
Again.
I read further. “The Archdiocese of Philadelphia will pay $3.5 million to settle a civil case alleging a now-deceased priest sexually assaulted a teenage boy nearly two decades ago, and church officials knew of similar reports about the priest dating back to the 1970s, attorneys for the victim announced Aug. 9.” And later, “[Msgr. John] Close died in 2018. Attorneys for the plaintiff say the archdiocese knew Close was a danger to children in the 1970s, after a priest reported teenage boys were sleeping overnight in Close’s room. Close was reassigned. Other alleged victims have come forward, attorneys said.”
As I kept reading my thoughts turned first to the victims, of course, and then inevitably to the money. $3.5 million? There’s no way the Archdiocese can afford that. And then I was shocked to read: “The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has paid $78.5 million to 438 [abuse] claimants, as of a 2022 report.”
My jaw dropped. After this settlement case, over $80 million has been spent by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia on settling sexual abuse cases.
Of course, I think it is more than just that victims receive settlement for the heinous crimes that have been committed against them. The fact that victims are receiving settlement is not upsetting. What is shocking and upsetting is that any of this is even needed to begin with. The Archdiocese shouldn’t have needed to spend this money because clergy sex abuse should not be or ever have been happening. And more than that, the covering up, brushing things under the rug, shuffling the problematic priests around, and keeping these issues “hush hush” shouldn’t be happening. And yet, the “hush hush” is clearly still happening.
After I read this article, I frantically searched the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s website for a press release or article about this settlement. I found nothing. I searched their Facebook and social media platforms, and found nothing, except that they have their Facebook and Instagram comments locked so that no one can comment on anything they post. I went to Archbishop Nelson Perez’s Facebook page, and found nothing, and once again, no ability to comment. I went to CatholicPhilly.org, the archdiocese’s news outlet, and found nothing. For the days following I looked for a press release, a statement, anything. Nothing.
Make no mistake, this was big news with major secular coverage. In addition to the major news outlets in Philadelphia, national outlets like CNN, Associated Press, and ABC News all had pieces published about this settlement. So why was the archdiocese saying nothing publicly?
It’s been weeks now since this settlement, and the archdiocese has still said nothing that can be publicly accessed except the brief statements from the Archdiocese’s communications team included in these original articles. And this silence must stop. NOW. After the years and years of covering up and sweeping things under the rug, the Archdiocese, along with so many other dioceses in the country, is still in the business of keeping things “hush hush” instead of giving the faithful church-goers what they need: transparency.
Have we not learned from decades of abuse, trial, money, debt, and Catholics leaving that keeping things quiet will not do? Have we not learned that transparency is the only pathway toward trust? Do we not see the people leaving the Church in hoards because of this very issue? And what is being done about it? We’re just keeping it quiet and hoping no one reads the Catholic news like I do?
Transparency is not just a courtesy. It is a moral obligation. Our Church leaders have a duty to tell people what is going on with their money, and Catholics have the right to know where their collection money is going. Although most collection donations stay with your parish, every parish in the diocese gives a portion of its money back to the diocese. So a portion of my collection donation is going back to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, which is already swimming in millions of dollars of debt. While the Archdiocese promises that it “will not use any funds from the Catholic Charities Appeal, the Seminary Appeal, or other donor-designated funds in relation to this lawsuit or this settlement,” that certainly doesn’t discount the portion of ordinary Sunday collection money that parishes must give back to the Archdiocese.
I know the Archdiocese of Philadelphia is not unique in this situation. Dioceses across America have been dealing with settlement cases like this for decades and responding with equally disappointing silence. I am not saying any bishop or diocesan staff member is to blame for the sins of other priests. But I am calling and begging for transparency and honesty. A simple public press release or short video explaining the situation would suffice. Explain the situation, explain how you plan to make it right, and explain how you plan to work for and do better. How are finances being allotted to these settlement cases? How is the faithful’s money being used in these cases? What concrete steps are being taken to ensure that victims are being justly compensated? What trainings are happening to ensure that clergy sexual abuse will not be perpetuated for future generations of Catholics?
We need transparency, and we need it now. We’ve needed it for decades. We can handle it. The Church has already been through decades of scandal. What we need now is transparency, accountability, training, and honesty. We are owed that much.