I am quickly finding out that not all Catholics are loving and forgiving. I’ve discovered that when the Diocese of Albany New York was ordered to pay more than $140 million following legal action on the part of CINO’s (Catholics in Name Only) who claimed that they were sexually abused by priests and other Church employees. That money has to come from somewhere, so individual parishes must each pay a share.
The problem is that, contrary to popular belief, Catholic parishes don’t have money just sitting there. Individual parishioners are being asked to pitch in. In other words, I am being asked to help pay for greed. I am not stingy; I am now in a position to give generously to my parish. I am glad to do so, because that is me paying my fair share for resources that I benefit from when I go to Mass. You know, power, heat/air conditioning, priest’s pay, etc.
The people who claim to have been abused may or may not be lying in order to milk the money cow. They are left to their own consciences, if they have any. You see, every week at Mass, we speak of forgiveness. Filing lawsuits and taking money from a church is not forgiving.
If these people were really abused, why did they wait so long to come forward? Why did they slither in when there was money to be had? Did they even stop to think about how their actions would affect their fellow local Catholics, their parishes, the diocese and the Church as a whole?
No, clearly not. All they saw were dollar signs. It should be enough to make any true
Catholic sick!
For the past few months, there has been talk of closing or consolidating parishes as a direct result of this lawsuit, a suit that caused our former bishop and others to declare bankruptcy, and all because of what I believe to be disgusting greed. I am in a position to know of one parish that is presently on the list of parishes the diocese will close.
I, of course, will not disclose the parish that is slated to close here, and that closure has not yet been finalized or announced, because I am not supposed to know but I do. Just know that this particular parish, with well over 400 people, will be directly affected by the greed of supposed loving, forgiving Catholics and their slimeball attorneys. I can understand why their attorneys are greedy, slimy scumbags, but I can’t understand the evil that rests within the hearts of CINO’s who bleed their diocese dry.
A simple Google search shows several law firms gloating about the greedy scumbaggery that has been going on. Yeah, well, they would. Attorneys who take cases like this lack basic decency and morals, in my opinion of course.
The priest in my current parish made a plea at today’s Mass, less than two hours ago, for generous donations as anything that the parish has to come up with will come out of its operating fund. I am loathe to do so, but I will donate at Mass next week. Not because I want to reward the greedy people who participated in this lawsuit, but because I don’t want to see my parish suffer financially.
The appalling thing is that the purported and convenient “victims” know the damage that they’re causing. They sit through announcements at Mass that disclose how much each parish must pay. They know the damage that they’ve done and they clearly don’t care. I hope they choke on their new car, their paid-off mortgage or whatever they may pay for on the backs of their fellow Catholics.
Our newly-minted bishop approved of the settlement and even went so far as to apologize. He has nothing for which to apologize. I find it dubious that anyone was actually abused, but if that abuse did happen, and again, I personally believe that there was no abuse, then these CINO’s should simply forgive and forget. But no, when there’s money to be had, they happily step forward with hands out as if receiving Communion.
I would never deign to sue my own Church. What kind of low-down scumbag does something like that? Oh, right…greedy pigs who get their money without a single thought given to how their sloth will affect others.