Of faith and funds

A Catholic faces difficult questions: Can he trust his church? Should he honor his fundraising pledge or send the money elsewhere? What would you do?

By ROY PETER CLARK
© St. Petersburg Times
published May 30, 2002

Roy Peter Clark

I donate about one percent of my salary to the Roman Catholic Church. That's not much, just a tithe of a tithe.

Ashamed, I decided last year to give more. Through Blessed Trinity parish in St. Petersburg, my spiritual home for 25 years, I pledged $5,000 over five years to my bishop's capital fundraising drive. Millions are needed to build a new Catholic high school in the diocese and to upgrade old ones.

Last year I wrote my first check for $1,000. It's past time for me to write another, and now I'm not sure what to do. My fear is that the money will be misdirected or that it will be used to dig the church hierarchy out of the abyss of sexual scandal.

This scandal has hit home. In the last decade, two pastors from Blessed Trinity have left the diocese after allegations of sexual incidents involving minors. And now it appears Bishop Robert Lynch, who has shown leadership and compassion throughout this scandal, has let his personal friendships cloud his judgment and undercut his financial responsibilities.

In one case, the diocese paid $100,000 in "severance" to Bill Urbanski, a close friend and employee of the bishop who accused him of sexual harassment. And now we hear reports that another personal friend of the bishop, David Herman, has been granted "a sweetheart deal" to build the new high school.

If I give my money to help build schools, will it enrich a close friend of the bishop? At some point, will my diocese have to compensate victims of abuse with money donated for other purposes?

I worry that a decision to withhold my money from the church may be a betrayal of all the good and responsible work the church is doing on behalf of the suffering and the poor. Perhaps the church, in the throes of crisis, needs my financial and moral support more than ever.

Perhaps there's another way. Maybe I should take the remaining $4,000 of my pledge and donate it to a more trustworthy and accountable institution than my church now seems to be. I've derived great satisfaction in working with Big Brothers and Big Sisters. The St. Petersburg Free Clinic has provided medical assistance for years to those in need. Resurrection House helps struggling families out of crisis. The Salvation Army is right down the street.

If many Catholics made the decision to vote "no" with their wallets, if the church were forced to sell its land, if it were more impoverished, would this be a good thing, the first step to a more Christlike, more accountable church?

I'm not sure, and I'm still struggling to decide. Should I fulfill my original pledge and give my money to the Catholic Church? Should I withhold it as an act of conscience? Should I give it to another charitable organization? What would you do?

Please tell me what you think. Send an e-mail to rclark@poynter.org. Or mail a letter to "What Should He Do?" c/o Floridian, the St. Petersburg Times, 490 First Ave. S, St. Petersburg, 33701. Please be brief. We're accepting responses until next Thursday, June 6.

I'll consider your advice and report back to you on the feedback I've received and the decision I've made.

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