Milwaukee Archdiocese - Church Paid Sexually Abusive Priests To Leave Reuters

NEW YORK Thu May 31, 2012 11:26am EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan official $20,000 expenses with a number of sexually harassing priests so that they could promptly give the Milwaukee archdiocese while Dolan seemed to be archbishop at this time there practically a several years ago, a community center spokeswoman reported upon Thursday.

The Survivors Network of people Abused by means of Priests (SNAP) first proclaimed that payments with Wednesday after finding moments of an March the year 2003 conference of the Milwaukee archdiocese financial council meeting. SNAP is actually challenging entire disclosure of most this sort of payments.

Church officials revealed the actual payments while approved from the seconds however archdiocese spokeswoman Julie Wolf reported the lady possessed yet to view what number of priests received them, privacy fencing cost the number at "a handful, a new couple."

"This income has been characterized while bonuses or maybe payoffs and that's simply not that case. In 2002 and 2003 should the clergy misuse crisis really came into a head, people today were calling intended for priest offenders to be taken away - acquire these outside there - as well as the cathedral here decided as a way to expedite that process," Wolf said.

The affiliate marketer payouts invited this harassing priests to under your own accord admit laicization, doing this with resorting a strong ordained priest right into a lay person.

Had the actual priests contested laicization, them might have used several years through which often occasion the particular priests could have been given salary as well as benefits, Wolf said.

Dolan has grown your deal with with the Catholic Church from the United States because moving from Milwaukee in order to New York with 2009, getting chief executive of the U.S. Conference regarding Catholic Bishops truly in addition to appearing lifted to Cardinal with the Vatican earlier this specific year.

(Reporting by Daniel Trotta ; Editing by way of Jackie Frank )