And, since the media blitz over the announcement that John Paul II and John XXIII will be canonized together tempts us to forget altogether about that news of Cardinal Timothy Dolan's transfer of $57 million to put the money beyond the reach of abuse survivors in Milwaukee, here's a reminder of that stale old story from last week: this is an editorial that the New Jersey Star-Ledger published yesterday, entitled "Cardinal Timothy Dolan's Smoking Gun." Here's a selection of the editorial's commentary:
Dolan’s letter is a window into the Milwaukee tenure of Dolan, whom U.S. Catholics have admired as a guide through the decades-long scandal. He has been vocal about the church’s abusive past, apologized and tried to help all sides heal.
Sadly, these documents provide evidence that Dolan also tried to keep the church’s wealth from living victims — by stashing it with the deceased.
Beyond that, it’s another chip at the church’s moral credibility on this issue, similar to the case of Newark Archbishop John J. Myers, who let a priest accused of molesting a boy continue to work with children — even after promising the courts he wouldn’t.
As the documents went public, Milwaukee’s current archbishop warned parishioners: “Prepare to be shocked.”
What could shock Catholics more than this: For decades, their church reassigned molesting priests, rejected credible accusations of abuse and dug in to avoid expensive verdicts. In New Jersey, the church has lobbied against laws giving victims more time to sue, and to exempt the church and its leaders from liability.
Far from shocking, Dolan’s newly revealed actions are, instead, sadly familiar.
Isn't it interesting that the Vatican announcements about the canonization of the two popes came right on the heels of the dismal news stories about Dolan and his transfer of funds when he was archbishop in Milwaukee? And isn't it interesting how eager so many of the powerful Catholic centrist media mavens who dominate coverage of matters Catholic in the mainstream media have been to change the conversation from Dolan to Francis and his reform of the church, after the Vatican supplied this new lede right after the Dolan story broke?
