Statement of Bishop Richard Lennon,
Apostolic
Administrator,
Archdiocese
of Boston, April 8, 2003
One
of my primary efforts as Apostolic Administrator has been to work toward
ending
division and fostering unity within the Archdiocese of Boston. In
light
of this, I
am disappointed that Catholic Charities has decided to
accept
money from the Voice of Compassion Fund. However, in keeping with
this
stated goal I will not take any steps at this time regarding their
decision.
While I am indeed committed to fostering unity, I remain
committed
to responding to those who stand in need of assistance. It is my
sincere
hope that as we move forward that unity that is a hallmark of the
Church
and that is so necessary for the Archdiocese of Boston will be
brought
about by all of us working together.
Charity
to accept donation despite Bishop Lennon's stance
Members
of the board of Catholic Charities voted overwhelmingly yesterday to accept a
$35,000 charitable contribution from the lay group Voice of the Faithful,
saying their obligation to the poor is greater than their obligation to their
bishop.
The
decision comes just days after Bishop Richard G. Lennon, the interim
administrator of the Archdiocese of Boston, refused to accept the money for the
church, and, using his authority as bishop, asked the top board officials of
Catholic Charities to refuse it as well.
''We
have been put in a difficult position by these events, but we felt that we had
a higher responsibility to the needs of the poor, and to the basic mission of
Catholic Charities,'' said Neal F. Finnegan, the chairman of the Catholic
Charities board and also the chairman of Citizens Bank.
Lennon,
effectively rebuked by some of the leading lay Catholics in the city, as well
as by an agency headed by one of his own cabinet officials, appeared to back
away from a dispute yesterday.
Although
some Catholic Charities officials had feared that Lennon might try to fire the
charity's board, Lennon issued a statement after the vote saying that, at least
for now, he would not punish the agency for accepting money from the Voice of
Compassion, which is the name of the fund established by Voice of the Faithful.
''One
of my primary efforts as apostolic administrator has been to work toward ending
division and fostering unity within the Archdiocese of Boston,'' Lennon said.
''In light of this, I am disappointed that Catholic Charities has decided to
accept money from the Voice of Compassion fund. However, in keeping with this
stated goal, I will not take any steps at this time regarding their decision.''
Voice
of the Faithful officials were delighted with the decision, which marks the
second time Catholic Charities has decided to take money from the organization
after a bishop declined it. In December, Catholic Charities accepted $56,000
raised by the group after Cardinal Bernard F. Law did not accept it before a
deadline set by Voice of the Faithful.
''We're
gratified that Catholic Charities has taken the money and we have confidence
that they will put the money to good use immediately,'' said James E. Post, the
president of Voice of the Faithful. ''It is very unfortunate that Bishop Lennon
put the board in this position of having to choose between the bishop and the
people.''
The
decision by Catholic Charities officials to disregard an instruction from the
bishop demonstrates how the clergy sex abuse scandal of the last year has
frayed relations between lay Catholics and the hierarchy, scholars say.
''This
continues the erosion of the unity of the church, and shows how deep the
dissatisfaction is with the leadership, and it will certainly concern other bishops
around the country,'' said Stephen J. Pope, chairman of the theology department
at Boston College. ''I don't think this means the people who voted to take the
money are being disloyal as Catholics, but I do think they believe that part of
being Catholic is acting the way Jesus did, which is by being concerned for the
poor, and putting that above the public show of unanimity.''
Lennon,
in his statement, suggested that he understood the board's dilemma, and that he
would work toward removing some of the acrimony that enveloped the church in
recent months.
''While
I am indeed committed to fostering unity, I remain committed to responding to
those who stand in need of assistance,'' he said. ''It is my sincere hope that,
as we move forward, the unity that is a hallmark of the Church, and that is so
necessary for the Archdiocese of Boston, will be brought about by all of us
working together.''
Voice
of the Faithful is a national organization, formed a year ago in Wellesley by
lay Catholics upset by the church's handling of sexually abusive priests. The
organization now claims 30,000 members, and has been raising money for Catholic
ministries from people unwilling to give directly to the archdiocese.
Catholic
Charities is the social services arm of the Archdiocese of Boston, but is
separately incorporated. The agency, with a $40 million annual budget, is the
largest nongovernmental provider of social services in the state, assisting
200,000 people last year, most of whom were not Catholic.
The
Catholic Charities board features many of the city's leading Catholic corporate
elite. More than 10 percent of the board is non-Catholic, including the Rev.
Ray Hammond, founder of the Ten Point Coalition, and Robert Leikind, executive
director of the Anti-Defamation League.
The
church hierarchy is represented on the board by Bishop Walter J. Edyvean, the
vicar general of the archdiocese. An archdiocesan priest, the Rev. Phillip B. Earley, serves as the ex-officio secretary
of the board.
Twenty-six
of the 51 board members attended yesterday's meeting, which lasted just over an
hour, and several more voted by proxy. Officials said Lennon's opposition was
presented and discussed, but that the vote was nearly unanimous. The officials
declined to say who voted against accepting the money, but they said an
overwhelming majority of the Catholic members of the board voted to take the
money.
Lennon's
spokesman has cited three reasons for refusing Voice of the Faithful's money:
''This separate fund-raising effort creates division, undermines the archdiocese's
own fund-raising efforts, and imposes unacceptable restrictions on the use of
the donations.''
Joseph
Doolin, the president of Catholic Charities and a member of Lennon's cabinet,
said he supported the decision to take the money. ''This is a painful decision
to have to make, but I feel that my responsibility to Catholic Charities is to
advance its mission, and I don't see this as a repudiation of the bishop,'' he
said.
Michael
Paulson can be reached at mpaulson@globe.com.
This
story ran on page A1 of the Boston Globe on 4/9/2003.
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Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper
Company.