Sister Margarita Antonia Gonzalez reacts to a discussion of a plan by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to close the Sisters of Bethany's convent in Santa Barbara and sell it to help pay for its $660-million settlement of priest sexual abuse cases. Gonzalez lives and works at the convent with two other nuns."We're just so hurt by this," Escalera, the order's local superior, said this week. "And what hurts the most is what the money will be used for, to help pay for the pedophile priests. We have to sacrifice our home for that?" Tod M. Tamberg, spokesman for the archdiocese, said Thursday that the decision to sell the Santa Barbara property was difficult but necessary.In July, the archdiocese announced a record, $660-million settlement with the victims of hundreds of clergy abuse cases. At least $250 million and up to $373 million of the total will be paid directly by the archdiocese, with the rest coming from insurers and various religious orders.The archdiocese has said it will sell up to 50 non-parish properties, including its administrative headquarters on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, to cover the bill. Apart from those central offices, the Santa Barbara convent is the first property to be publicly identified as among those to be sold. "The pain is being spread around," Tamberg said. "We're losing our headquarters here, and none of the employees got a pay raise this year. This is just part of making it right with the victims, and we all have to share in the process even though none of us -- the nuns, myself -- harmed anybody. All of us as a church have to pay for the sins of a few people."
Original LA Times article (here)
2 comments:
I have recently been doing a lot of blogging on the Jesuits and the Vatican and this, this infuriates me! This is the cold Vatican at its best. Those accused priests are most likely safely working in the Vatican where they are safe due to diplomatic immunity and these women pay for their crimes!
Not really too much of a surprise when you know how they really treat nuns behind those cloister walls.
In fact, I stumbled across YOUR blog as I was researching this same story to add to my list of Vatican crimes against humanity.. albeit one of their lesser crimes.
I find it disturbing that Catholics are still trying to point fingers and use others as scapegoats. Yes, priests who have been and are currently charged for their crimes must be dealt with according to the law.
But people like Mr. Tamberg must realize that the problem of abuse is SYSTEMIC....part of being in a community of faith is that we do not discriminate, even those who have sinned. He seems to be more concerned about his pay raise than the spiritual and moral welfare of the catholic community.
It is very naive and ignorant for many of us catholics to think that faith communities are perfect. In fact, the Church carries with her all sorts of people, and yes God also loves them.
This just shows that when we talk about money, it brings out the worst in people whether they are priests or the laity.
Post a Comment