Fuck All Ya'll: We Ain't Paying Shit!

[Trigger warning for sexual violence; clergy abuse.]

In its continuing effort to alienate every last person with a shred of decency from its congregant ranks, the Catholic Church is contesting a jury verdict awarding $5 million to a former altar boy sexually abused by a priest on the basis that the verdict "exposes the citizens of Illinois to gross violations of their religious liberty."

Attorneys for the Catholic Diocese of Belleville contend that if a jury verdict awarding $5 million to a former altar boy sexually abused by a priest is allowed to stand, the religious liberty of Illinois citizens could be undermined.

...In legal documents filed Wednesday with the Illinois Supreme Court, St. Louis attorney David Wells, who represents the diocese, argued that a 5th District Appellate Court ruling announced in January upholding the $5 million verdict "exposes the citizens of Illinois to gross violations of their religious liberty." He contends that the appellate court ruling improperly held the diocese to a higher standard than law allows simply because it is a religious organization.

In a 19-page petition, Wells stated that the verdict and appellate court ruling was based on an unconstitutional premise: that the diocese had a duty to protect and warn Wisniewski about Kownacki based solely on religious doctrine and belief.

"A court interpreting and applying religious doctrine violates both Illinois and federal guarantees of religious liberty," Wells' petition stated.

This whole argument is, of course, hogwash. Many public institutions are required to do background checks on employees, and many private institutions do them as a matter of course, because they are liable for people in their care. Schools, hospitals, residential care facilities have all been sued (successfully) because they failed via negligence to protect people from sexual predators.

The Catholic Church is, in fact, not being held to a higher standard. It's the usual misdirection to obfuscate the reality that the Church expects to be held to a lower standard, because, as per usual, the diocese knew about the priest's predatory behavior and concealed it from parishioners:

Kownacki, 76, who has stated he will not comment, was removed from ministry because of allegations of sexual misconduct. He was named as a defendant in another sexual abuse lawsuit filed by Weilmuenster that resulted in a $1.2 million payment by the Belleville Diocese in 2009.

Testimony in the Wisniewski case stated that the diocese knew that Kownacki was dangerous but continued to transfer him to other parishes without warning parishioners.

The Church's argument asserts that being held accountable for shielding known pedophiles is an encroachment on its religious liberty.

And not only is that argument being made in court documents, but Bishop Edward Braxton sent a letter to parishioners telling them "that their religious freedom could be eroded if the judgment stands."

Nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to clergy abuse and the Catholic Church's defenses thereof, but I am absolutely sickened by it.

I feel for every survivor in that diocese who received a letter from the Bishop arguing that accountability for shielding predators is an encroachment on religious liberty. What an absolute betrayal of trust.

And I can't even begin to imagine being the survivor to whom the verdict awarded payment, only to have to listen to the Church whine about the injustice of it all. Gross.

[H/T to @matttbastard.]