Bishop Ronald Hicks might be strolling into the center 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 comply with by way of on a $300 million settlement negotiated beneath 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 a long time 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 twenty 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 in all probability say the best issues however do nearly 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 obligatory age of 75, has been reducing corners to provide you with cash for the settlement, slashing the archdiocese payroll by 10% and promoting off church property, together with the land beneath the the posh Lotte New York Palace — one of many priciest items of actual property in its portfolio — to the resort’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 few 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 in need of 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 will by no means relaxation in our efforts to stop abuse, to guard kids and to take care of survivors,” Hicks added. “Whereas this work is difficult, it’s troublesome, 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 lively 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 strategy of mediation, and that course of is underway,” Anderson famous. “There is no such thing as a settlement. There aren’t any phrases of settlement which are even near being reached.”
He mentioned the church is “shedding on the litigation aspect no less than in lots of, so many, battles.”
“We’ll have to simply see the way it performs out, as a result of at present I can’t inform you,” Anderson mentioned.
“Whereas I don’t know him (Hicks) personally, I’m trying ahead to working with him and anyone else within the Archdiocese to assist convey some decision to those survivors. So the very fact there’s new blood coming in can’t harm.”
— Further reporting by Georgett Roberts
