Bishop: Balance needed when deciding liability claims in civil cases

Published: 2008-05-01

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Multimillion-dollar awards in civil lawsuits place a burden on the free exercise of religion and undermine the Catholic Church's ability to continue its charitable works, Auxiliary Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki of Chicago told the National Diocesan Attorneys Association. Speaking at the association's annual meeting April 27 in Arlington, Va., Bishop Paprocki said balance must be achieved between providing adequate compensation to plaintiffs in cases of wrongdoing and "preserving charitable viability" for the church. "My point is that the pendulum has swung from the complete protection of charitable immunity to the complete exposure of charitable liability, and, in some cases, all the way to charitable bankruptcy," Bishop Paprocki said. The Chicago auxiliary is chairman-elect of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance and will begin a three-year term as chairman in November.

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