On Thursday, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Catholic church announced that the Archdiocese of New York would be creating a compensation program for people who were abused by Catholic clergymen.
There are currently 170 victims of sexual assault that have been reported to the church, and it will take around four months to review all of the cases. The Catholic church has already begun reaching out to the reported victims. Dolan stated:
“The program we are establishing today will, please God, help bring a measure of peace and healing to those who have suffered abuse by a member of the clergy of this Archdiocese.”
Kenneth Feinberg, a mediator for cases such as the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, has been brought into the new program. Along with fellow mediator, Camille Biros, Feinberg will have the complete and total say over the decision of compensation for each case.
As a structured review for the program, the Archdiocese has brought in prominent members of the community including former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly, Judge Loretta Presk, and a Columbia University Psychologist.
The program will have no cap or regulation on how much money can be awarded for compensation and the funds are coming from a long-term loan to the church. However, though it may seem as if the Catholic church is reaching out to its victims, there are other agendas to be considered.
As with the September 11th Compensation Fund, those who are awarded funds from the church must sign an agreement never to sue the church for its transgressions. By creating such a program through its own accord, the church is ultimately making a way to circumnavigate the judicial system, which ultimately saves them money, time, and public media coverage of the accusations.
The Survivors Network Of Those Abused By Priests, an independent group of survivors of clergy abuse, feel that the punishment and compensation need to be decided by a court of law and not a mediator inside the church. David Clohessy, the Executive Director of the group, commented saying:
“We are not pleased with the announcement.”
There has been no comment by the courts on this matter.
Featured Image Via The Washington Post
