The cases of sexual abuse, so widely publicized and so seemingly widespread may be bringing the Catholic Church to financial ruin in Boston. Cardinal Bernard Law, head of the Boston archdiocese is talking about bankruptcy as an option to the church's financial problems.

There were so many cases the church attempted to settle six months ago, and had actually worked out an arrangement to settle them, but Cardinal Law realized that the church was over extended and attempted to void that agreement. Now with declining revenues coming into the church, they are in confusion on exactly how to bring this matter to some type of conclusion.

The Catholic Church is structured quite differently from many of the pastor-get-rich churches in our black communities. The Catholic priests are on a salary--a very small salary. Many black community churches are structured so that the pastor gets the lion's share of all revenues coming into the church. And most of the congregation never knows how much that is. Were Catholics structured on the loose model of many Black Churches, one could easily sue the pastor and capture his funds--an outstanding need that has not been addressed yet.

But for the Catholic Church in Boston, where the sexual abuses are as egregious as they are, and the victims are as righteously justified in suing as they are, that organization needs to pay for its sins against its congregants, even if all their assets are in jeopardy. []

Gibbs