The diocese is now using bankruptcy proceedings to try to thwart survivors’ efforts to get to the truth. Declaring Chapter 11 is a convenient way for the Catholic Church and other organizations to deny survivors a full accounting. It deprives them of their day in court and the ability to unearth concealed documents through discovery.
Any of the 223 lawsuits swept up in the bankruptcy could have potentially shed light at trial on how the diocese sheltered and protected child-abusing men and women under its supervision. Instead, the bankruptcy consolidates them all into one proceeding focused on how the diocese can pay its creditors.
Sean Dolan, the authorized spokesperson for the diocese, was asked why they left names off the list. He said, “The diocese did not determine which names went on the list...it was the bankruptcy court...the diocese was simply following the court order.” However, it was the diocese itself that compiled the information and decided who did or did not meet those criteria — not the judge.
I do not mean to condemn the Catholic Church nor those who follow its teaching. But we cannot overlook how, at every step along the way, the church’s hierarchy chose to protect their reputations first instead of the safety of children.
After the church failed survivors so dreadfully as children, today’s leadership too often treats them as the enemy rather than help them heal from the wounds they suffered. Doesn’t this tell us all we need to know about their priorities, regardless of what they claim?
Toale is a child sexual abuse survivor and advocate. He filed a lawsuit against the Diocese of Rockville Centre under the Child Victims Act which is now part of the Diocese of Rockville Centre’s bankruptcy.
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