The proposed legislation is not anti-Catholic, but rather anti-fraud and
anti-coverup. This is coming from inside the Mass. legislature as
much as it is from any outside pressure. The legislation is neutral
on its face.
Marci
In a message dated 8/17/2005 6:49:33 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
I
suppose that depends on how you define "anti-Catholic," but the proponents of
this legislation (all Catholics, so far as I can tell) are adopting the
*political* stance of supporting the lay Catholics who have been critical of
church-closing decisions. More votes in the pews than in the pulpits, I
guess.
--
Vance R. Koven
Boston, MA USA
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
On 8/17/05, Paul
Finkelman <[EMAIL PROTECTED] >
wrote:
My
understanding is that there is a large Catholic majority in the Mass.
legislature; if so, then are you suggesing that thte legislture
is
anti-Catholic?
Vance R. Koven wrote:
>I'm a bit
surprised that nobody here has brought up the recent
>initiatives of
the Massachusetts legislature to require churches
>(guess which one
they mostly have in mind) to start disclosing
>financial information,
including assets held. Churches have been
>exempted from making the
financial disclosures that "other charities"
>(quoted because this is
an issue in contention) have to disclose to
>the Attorney General's
Division of Public Charities. The RC church, of
>course, but also the
Massachusetts Council of (mostly Protestant)
>Churches has opposed
this requirement on First Amendment grounds. A
>lot of the public
debate has revolved around whether churches are
>really charities like
secular ones, or have their own special niche
>that precludes the
state from even requiring disclosure of financial
>information. The
state legislators sponsoring the bill (the AG has
>been trying to stay
neutral) contend that disclosure is in the
>interests of potential and
actual donors (primarily parishioners) in
>making sure their funds are
not misused; and in many cases this
>information is thought to aid
claimants against the principally
>Catholic churches and clergy
involved in sex scandals and follow-on
>parish closings to pay the
damages resulting from the scandal.
>
>Is the Free Ex claim of
the churches sound? Do other states require
>this type of
disclosure?
>
>
>
--
Paul Finkelman
Chapman
Distinguished Professor of Law
University of Tulsa College of Law
3120
East 4th Place
Tulsa, OK 74104-3189
918-631-3706
(office)
918-631-2194 (fax)
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
|
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