The Catholic clergy has broken the bank. It's time for the laity to take control.

The Catholic clergy broke their vows. They broke the law, they broke our hearts, and then they broke the bank.

On May 29, 2020, four months before the Diocese of Rockville Centre sought bankruptcy protection, a legal filing appeared on the diocesan website stating that more than $57 million had already been awarded to 320 victims of sexual abuse on Long Island. It was never “just a few priests” as we were led to believe when the sex abuse scandal erupted in 2001.

In 2003, a state Supreme Court special grand jury report concluded that an established pattern of abuse and cover-up existed in the Diocese of Rockville Centre. Grand jury reports in other locations concluded similarly, most notably in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. Interestingly, the bishops who were transferred out of Boston and Allentown became our bishops here on Long Island.

Now, we are told that there are 636 lawsuits filed by the hierarchy’s victims under the New York Child Victims Act. The cost could be catastrophic.

The gospel mandate to provide for the least among us has been severely compromised by our clergy’s crimes. Many of the hungry will not be fed, nor will the growing number of homeless be sheltered. Schools will close and parish programs will cease. Children will miss out on the education that grounded their parents and grandparents in their faith. They gave generously to build our churches and schools, never guessing that those places would become crime scenes, then be named as assets that could be sold to pay for the priests’ abuse of their children and grandchildren.

Not a single priest or bishop will pay out of his pocket for his crimes. They won’t pay at all. Some were sent to Rome to escape the law, others reassigned to a distant diocese or promoted to pastor of another parish. Only one priest who committed crimes in this diocese went to jail.

Jesus gave harsh warnings about the religious leaders of his day. He called them hypocrites who don’t practice what they preach, but rather, place cumbersome burdens on the shoulders of others. Jesus never qualified that criticism, but I am not Jesus. I am mortal and flawed, as are our priests. I have worked closely with exceptions to Christ’s condemnations, priests who struggle to provide for their parishioners through the weekly collections, but the bishop demands that a portion of parish collections be sent to him to use as he decides. Priests take a vow of obedience to their bishop, so often their hands are tied.

So the laity has to step up. In addition to demanding full transparency, maybe we should demand that the diocese give our money back, along with the deeds to the schools, hospitals and churches that our loved ones built. And the rectories, too — many are worth millions and far too large for the few priests living in them. Studies tell us that many Catholics are better educated and more financially sophisticated than our clergy. What if we elect trusted members of our community to handle the money, and distribute the assets for the greater good and the compassionate work of the gospel? It might not be perfect, but we can’t do worse than the hierarchy.

In the meantime, let's continue to pray for the victims of our clergy. And weep for all that has been lost.

This guest essay reflects the views of Pat McDonough, a practicing Catholic who has worked for the Diocese of Rockville Centre for almost forty years. She holds graduate degrees in theology, education and psychology.