Bishop Ronald Hicks will probably be strolling into the guts of the Catholic Church’s lingering intercourse abuse scandal when he grabs the reigns of the Archdiocese of New York — and there are already questions over what tack he’ll take.
Advocates for the victims of Catholic clergy and lay staffers had been frightened about whether or not the 58-year-old Illinois bishop would observe by means of on a $300 million settlement negotiated below New York Archbishop Timothy Cardinal Dolan for some 1,300 baby intercourse abuse victims.
“Cardinal Dolan has left Bishop Hicks with an archdiocese reeling and in free fall from the many years previous cowl up of clergy sexual abuse,” mentioned lawyer Mitchell Garabedian, who helped convey the clergy intercourse abuse scandal on the Archdiocese of Boston into the nationwide highlight greater than 20 years in the past.
“Though I’ve settled childhood sexual abuse claims with the Diocese of Joliet, I’ve not had any direct dealings with Bishop Hicks,” Garabedian mentioned. “Since Bishop Hicks has gained expertise managing the issue of clergy sexual abuse in Diocese of Joliet, he’ll most likely say the suitable issues however do virtually nothing to assist survivors attempt to heal. Bishop Hicks is an organization man.
“If he was not an organization man then he wouldn’t be the following Archbishop.”
Dolan, who’s retiring on the necessary age of 75, has been chopping corners to provide you with cash for the settlement, slashing the archdiocese payroll by 10% and promoting off church property, together with the land below the the luxurious Lotte New York Palace — one of many priciest items of actual property in its portfolio — to the lodge’s proprietor for a whopping $490 million.
One other $100 million could be raised from the sale of the previous archdiocesan headquarters on the First Avenue and East 56th Road, with a number of the proceeds from each gross sales additionally meant to repay earlier loans, together with for different settlements.
At his first public look with Dolan at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Thursday, Hicks was requested in regards to the monetary burden he would face — and his reply fell wanting soothing some victims’ advocates.
“I’m dedicated to studying in regards to the points earlier than our church, together with the funds the archdiocese has put aside to assist resolve sexual abuse claims,” he mentioned.
“As a church, we are able to by no means relaxation in our efforts to forestall abuse, to guard youngsters and to look after survivors,” Hicks added. “Whereas this work is difficult, it’s tough, it’s painful, I hope it is going to proceed to assist in the areas of accountability, transparency and therapeutic.”
The Coalition for Simply & Compassionate Compensation, an advocacy group for victims of the church intercourse scandal, wrote to Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday expressing concern that the change in management on the archdiocese might jeopardize the settlement negotiations.
“An announcement at this juncture — whether or not intentional or made with out full appreciation of its influence — dangers delaying, destabilizing, or undermining an energetic mediation course of that’s already underway and supported by concrete monetary and institutional steps,” the letter mentioned, referencing the pontiff’s appointment of Hicks as Dolan’s successor this week.
“For survivors, such disruption wouldn’t be procedural. It might be deeply private and dangerous.”
The reply stays unsure for some, together with Jeff Anderson, an lawyer representing 300 victims.
“All of the Archdiocese of New York and Cardinal Dolan have agreed to do is go right into a means of mediation, and that course of is underway,” Anderson famous. “There isn’t any settlement. There aren’t any phrases of settlement which can be even near being reached.”
He mentioned the church is “dropping on the litigation aspect at the very least in lots of, so many, battles.”
“We’ll have to simply see the way it performs out, as a result of as we speak I can’t inform you,” Anderson mentioned.
“Whereas I don’t know him (Hicks) personally, I’m wanting ahead to working with him and anyone else within the Archdiocese to assist convey some decision to those survivors. So the actual fact there’s new blood coming in can’t damage.”
— Extra reporting by Georgett Roberts
