PHONY ATTACK ON CARDINAL DOLAN

(Catholic League) Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments as follows: Timothy Cardinal Dolan is being criticized for inducing suspected miscreant priests to exit the priesthood while he was the Archbishop of Milwaukee. The attack is phony: if the issue were how to handle sex abusers, his critics would have previously commented on the following:

• In California, all government employees convicted of any crime receive a full pension
• A Los Angeles teacher charged with 23 counts of lewd acts with children aged 6-10 was paid $40,000 this year to drop his appeal
• In the state of Washington, a teacher accused of sexual misconduct was given $55,000 to withdraw his termination appeal this year
• A teacher in New York State (NYS) convicted this year of downloading child porn was awarded nearly $22,000 a year
• A convicted sex abuser in NYS serving up to 50 years is receiving a pension of more than $52,000
• Another sex offender in NYS convicted of child porn possession is receiving $49,210 in a pension
• In 2012, a New York City teacher convicted of a sex offense was paid over $100,000 a year while sitting for ten years in a rubber room; he is entitled to $85,400 a year in a pension; and he will also receive $55,000 for unused sick days
• A Queens guidance counselor accused of molesting a learning-disabled student has been receiving $102,852 a year since 2003
• A Queens teacher who allegedly molested and then married a girl (after he impregnated her) has been receiving $94,145 a year since 2003 (he was previously accused of molesting two 12 year-olds)

None of these incidents—and there are hundreds like them—will ever get the goat of those taking cheap shots at Cardinal Dolan. He inherited a big problem from the disgraced Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert Weakland, and did what he could to correct matters. Moreover, unlike public school employers, he didn’t grant lifetime salaries and benefits to suspected offenders. He should be commended, not condemned, for doing so.