|
Approval of the
Joint Plan of
Reorganization
Proposed by the Diocese of Davenport
and
the Official Committee of Unsecured
Creditors
At a hearing held
today in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Iowa,
Bankruptcy Judge Lee Jackwig approved the
Joint
Plan of Reorganization Proposed by the
Diocese of Davenport and the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors.
The creditors voted last week to approve the plan with
one no vote and 165 yes votes.
The
next step in the bankruptcy will be the payment to the bankruptcy
trustee of $37 million which includes the deed to the St. Vincent Center
property where the chancery offices are located..
All other properties owned by the
Diocese, including the bishop’s house, have been sold. In addition, the
Diocese will fulfill the non-monetary
obligations given in the Reorganization Plan. Some of the obligations
have been part of diocesan procedures for many years.
This
is not an issue to put behind us. This isn’t a problem to “get over.”
The Church must always keep the protection of children in the forefront
of our mission of service to others.
Much
has been learned from our past mistakes and from these heinous crimes
against the most vulnerable and against the very teaching of the
Church. We have gone through a learning process that now promotes
transparency over secrecy and justice over the threat of scandal. The
lessons have been difficult to learn. I am confident that by going
through this process, the Church is becoming closer to what the Gospel
calls her to be, configured to Christ, our Hope.
I
will continue to pray for the victims and survivors of abuse and all
those hurt by the wrong actions or the inactions of the Diocese of
Davenport. As Pope Benedict XVI said during his trip to the United
States last week, “It is your
God-given responsibility as pastors to bind up the wounds caused by
every breach of trust, to foster healing, to promote reconciliation and
to reach out with loving concern to those so seriously wronged.”
I ask the people of the Diocese to join with me in doing all that we can
to protect our children and to reconcile with those harmed.
Most
Rev. Martin J. Amos, Bishop of Davenport
Easter 2008
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Christ is Risen!
We’ve walked the Lenten desert for forty days
and have come to the waters of life.
We’ve faced the darkness of our sin and had that
darkness scattered by the light of the Easter
fire, the pillar of flame.
We’ve learned—through prayer, fasting and
almsgiving—to embrace the grace that bids us die
to those sins and so come to everlasting life.
The Samaritan Woman at the Well, the Man Born
Blind and Lazarus have been our companions on
the way. And now we stand at the empty tomb with
Mary Magdalene, with Peter, with the Beloved
Disciple and with generations of Christians who
have gone before us. With all these, we share a
common hope in Christ Jesus.
We share a common hope in the Resurrection; that
at the end of time—in the words of the great
mystic, Julian of Norwich—“All shall be well and
all shall be well and all manner of thing shall
be well.”
But what of the here and now?
It has always been tempting to speak of
Christian hope only in terms of the life to
come. But our faith, the very Eucharist we
share, calls us to a deeper understanding. Fed
by the Word and nourished by Christ’s own Body
and Blood, we are sent to proclaim the Good News
to the world. Like the first witnesses to the
Resurrection, we are called to share our hope by
the words we speak and give flesh to our hope by
the loving service we undertake.
In a world thirsting for the truth, in a world
darkened by violence and despair, in a world
that embraces death in so many ways, we have
much to offer in Christ.
As we feast for fifty days, my hope is that the
Resurrection takes root deep in our hearts so
that the springtime we experience is more than
just the melting of snow and the flowering of
the fields, but a true and lasting flowering of
peace and justice.
Christ is Risen, indeed!
Sincerely in Christ,
Most Rev. Martin Amos
Bishop of Davenport
Contributions from parishes toward bankruptcy
settlement
Report regarding Fr. Gerald Stouvenel
Note: The Diocese of Davenport cannot comment
beyond the information given below due to the bankruptcy proceedings.
During several years of litigation involving claims
of sexual abuse, and during the bankruptcy proceedings, the Diocese of
Davenport has taken the position that the parishes are totally separate
legal entities. In fact, the parishes are separate legal corporations
and they own title to their real estate.
During settlement negotiations in the bankruptcy,
the Diocese was informed that several Catholic entities would be sued,
if the parishes and other entities weren't included in the bankruptcy
settlement. To avoid these suits, the Diocese agreed to pay an
additional $5.5 million to protect all of them from future lawsuits. In
effect, the Diocese bought an "insurance policy" for every parish and
all other Catholic entities in the Diocese. If the Diocese had not made
this agreement, they could have been sued. Their status as independent
entities would also have been contested in the bankruptcy proceedings.
Legal fees alone would have been ruinous and it is highly likely that
the lawsuits would be lost, threatening the very survival of these
parishes and other entities.
The Diocese has asked some of the parishes where
serious abuse occurred to help pay for the cost of the settlement. These
parishes were specific targets for lawsuits because they have sizable
assets which could be taken. The contributions that have been requested
by the Diocese are far less than the consequences of being sued.
From Most Rev. Martin Amos, Bishop of
Davenport:
The Diocesan Review Board has recommended that I
request the Vatican to laicize Father Gerald Stouvenel. I have accepted
this recommendation and the request is being sent to the Vatican for
review and decision. During this process, Fr. Stouvenel will continue
his leave from ministry while working at the St. Vincent Center in
Davenport where he is being supervised.
Four persons have made claims in bankruptcy against
the Diocese that Fr. Stouvenel sexually abused them, as minors, over 30
years ago. This came forward through the bankruptcy claimant process.
According to the Diocese of Davenport Policies
Relating to Sexuality and Personal Behavior, I placed Fr. Stouvenel on
administrative leave effective July 27, 2007, while a full investigation
was being done regarding the credibility of the allegations. The Diocese
forwarded these reports to the Scott County Attorney, as required by the
Memorandum of Understanding. Please continue to pray for all people who
have been abused and for the people affected by abuse.
Fr. Stouvenel was ordained August 12, 1972. His
assignments include: associate pastor of Sacred Heart Cathedral,
Davenport; faculty member of Assumption High School, Davenport;
associate pastor of St. Mary, West Point; and pastor of St. Joseph,
Montrose; St. James, St. Paul; St. Mary, West Point; Church of the
Visitation, Camanche; St. Mary, West Burlington; St. Mary, Dodgeville;
St. Patrick, Burlington; Ss. Mary & Patrick, West Burlington; and Sacred
Heart, Ss. Mary & Joseph, Fort Madison. He had served as dean of the
Keokuk Deanery since July 2005.
Bankruptcy Plan
Filed by the Diocese of Davenport
The Diocese of
Davenport and the Creditor’s Committee filed a Joint Consensual Plan of
Reorganization on January 31, 2008. The purpose of the Plan is to
enable the Diocese to pay fair and just compensation to all survivors of
abuse and to allow the Diocese to continue its ministry and service to
the people of the Diocese.
The Diocese negotiated
a $37 million settlement with the Official Committee of Unsecured
Creditors on November 28, 2007. Of the $37 million settlement, $19.5
million is committed from Travelers Insurance Company and $17.5 million
from the Diocese of Davenport. Of the $17.5 million from the Diocese,
$3.9 million will come from the transfer of the deed to the St. Vincent
Center property as valued by the Creditor’s Committee. The Diocese’s
share of the remaining $13.6 million is to be paid in cash.
To date, $5.9 million
of the $13.6 million has been committed from the St. Vincent Home
Corporation and four parishes which will be named after they have had
time to inform their parishioners. The four parishes had the most
serious claims against them. The Diocese is considering the various
options, including borrowing money, to raise the balance of the funds
needed to meet the settlement.
Details of the $37M
settlement will be included in the Joint Consensual Plan of
Reorganization. The Plan must be approved by the Honorable Lee M.
Jackwig, Chief Judge of the United States Bankruptcy Court, Southern
District of Iowa, to be effective. Judge Jackwig has scheduled a
hearing on March 5th. If approved, the creditors will then
vote on the Plan.
Following the
negotiations in November, Bishop Amos said, “The settlement provides the
best opportunity for healing and for the just and fair compensation of
those who have suffered sexual abuse by clergy in our Diocese. The
settlement also provides the best way to continue the Church’s mission
in the Diocese of Davenport. While this settlement will not end the
suffering by some victims of abuse, I pray that the healing process for
them might begin.”
Attacks on Immigrants in Current Political
Rhetoric
are Not Worthy of Iowa and Iowans
From
Bishop Amos:
As the
presidential caucuses approach, the eyes of the nation are on Iowa. The
nature of the political discourse in our State over the next few weeks
will not only reflect on the candidates, but also on Iowa citizens. In
this regard, Iowans should be concerned with the negative rhetoric
surrounding the issue of immigration. This rhetoric clouds and distorts
real facts and issues.
Research
indicates that immigrant workers are very important to our state’s
economic well-being. This is very relevant at a time when the state is
forecasting future worker shortages. Immigrants work in farming,
meatpacking, construction, home care, and service---all industries that
help grow Iowa’s economy. A recent study by the Iowa Policy Project (IPP)
found that undocumented immigrant workers annually pay more than $40
million in taxes in Iowa.
Undocumented immigrants also pay significantly into the Social Security
and Medicare systems, though they receive no benefits. IPP found that
undocumented persons in Iowa pay between $50 and $77.8 million in Social
Security and Medicare taxes to the federal government each year,
supporting these important programs. According to a University of
Northern Iowa study, immigrant workers are making up for decreases in
the state’s working age population, which is declining because of aging
and lower birth rates.
But
there is a larger issue than economics involved. This polarizing
rhetoric leaves the impression that Iowans might be more influenced by
messages that portray immigrants as a threat than by messages that
outline sound public policy solutions. The current barrage of negative
messages implies that the majority of Iowans are anti-immigrant and that
we do not embrace our nation’s rich immigrant heritage. We deserve
better!
A recent
University of Iowa poll showed that a majority of Iowans favor a
comprehensive approach to fixing our broken immigration system. We want
to have border protection policies that are consistent with humanitarian
values and that foster a respect for the law. Enforcement-only and mass
deportation proposals offered by some of the candidates are not good
solutions from an economic or human perspective. Iowans understand that
comprehensive reform would help restore order and the rule of law to our
outmoded immigration system. By providing legal status to undocumented
immigrants and a path to citizenship, law enforcement would know better
who is in the country. By providing visas to permit immigrant workers to
enter the country legally, border enforcement personnel could focus on
those who truly seek to harm us: drug smugglers, human traffickers and
terrorists. Iowans, and most Americans, want an effective and humane
solution to the problem of illegal immigration.
As a
state with one of the fastest growing immigrant populations, Iowa has in
the past done remarkably well integrating newcomers into our
communities. Our efforts in the 1970’s to welcome people from Southeast
Asia into our communities won Iowa national praise. We recognize that we
were once immigrants, too and we share a strong work ethic and a love
for our families. We believe that we are enriched by sharing our unique
cultures.
We need
more leadership, especially from our federal leaders who have failed to
fix a broken immigration system. The presidential candidates have an
opportunity in the next weeks to provide this leadership, not shallow
rhetoric, on immigration. As they seek to define the issue to serve
their political interests, we should not allow them to define us.
As
Iowans, we should reject the attacks against immigrants and demand
constructive dialogue on an important national issue. Such attacks
dehumanize our fellow human beings and are not worthy of the
compassionate people of our great state. Our values of love for our
fellow humans, family unity, a strong work ethic, respect for the law
and effective public policy should be the framework for efforts to
resolve this issue.
top of page
|
