New voices call for Sunday collection boycott

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May 2002

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New voices call for Sunday collection boycott
While many liberal Catholics have been plugging away at reforms of church structures for decades, Catholic hierarchs could generally depend on conservative Catholics to defend and support them. But faced with an institutional crisis of this proportion, it seems that Catholics of every political bend share a sense of outrage and betrayal—and mean to do something about it.

A group of Chicago businessmen who describe themselves as "orthodox" in their Catholicism have announced they will boycott Sunday collection baskets until the Archdiocese of Chicago makes several reforms to its current policy on sex abuse cases. The group publicly called on all members of the diocese to do the same. Instead of donating at a local parish or to the diocese, the group recommends donating to other charities that service the poor.

They call themselves the Committee for Prevention of Sex Abuse by Clergy. The committe grew out of a prayer group that meets twice weekly at a Chicago downtown parish over lunch hour. Members of the group are mainly high-end professionals—stockbrokers, investment bankers, executives. The men decided through prayer that forming the committee and calling for the boycott were actions they had to take to encourage positive change in the church.

Ed Ricci, a prominent lawyer and six-figure donor to the Catholic church in Palm Beach, Florida, also made headlines recently when he said he would stop giving money if he's not satisfied with structural changes within 90 days after a new bishop is named to his diocese. West Palm Beach lost its bishop, Anthony O'Connell, in March after he admitted to inappropriate sexual relations with a seminarian. Currently, an interim director is in charge of the diocese and a panel established to recommend reforms.

Ricci suggests parishioners give directly to Catholic Charities or Catholic Relief Services.

Dean Hoge, director of the Life Cycle Institute at the Catholic University of America, says he is surprised by these events. Hoge has analyzed church finances for the last 10 years and is quoted in previous media interviews calming fears that the church might be headed for financial ruin. He previously argued that each diocese—because of its vast assets, such as real estate—could cover whatever liabilities resulted because of the ongoing sex abuse scandal.

But in light of the Chicago boycott and others that may follow, he says, "My earlier statements might not be accurate." If people boycott the collection basket, parishes and the diocese could be in a precarious position, Hogue says.

He says he still believes that most people will not penalize their local parish by withholding funds. But if they do, it could mean real trouble for many dioceses, he says. "When you consider that the average parish takes in only about $470,000 in donations per year, a large donor could have quite an impact on that total." Or, of course, many small donors withholding funds could also make a dent.

Dioceses may be able to cover the expenses of lawsuit settlements out of existing funds, real estate sales, or other liquidated assets, but a boycott on Sunday donations would cut directly into daily operating costs. Hoge says, "Generally, it is for specific campaigns—capital campaigns, the cardinal's appeal—that dioceses call on major donors. These campaigns will likely be in more danger than parish giving. It's when the bishop wants to build a new seminary building and he needs $20 million that the big givers come in."

For this reason, Hoge believes it is the public statement made by groups like the Committee for the Prevention of Sex Abuse or individual donors like Ricci that matters even more than their donation.—Tara Dix

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