More on AG Reilly's report

By Domenico Bettinelli, Jr. ( articles - email ) | Jul 24, 2003

Diogenes,

Lawyer and friend Tom Fitzpatrick has a different perspective on Reilly's report. Writing on my web site, he says that Reilly has actually done the archdiocese a favor, if perhaps unintentionally. Granting, the report's deficiencies, one thing it does is remove an excuse for the diocese's insurance carriers to refuse to pay out for settlements. If Cardinal Law or other bishops were indicted, they would have begged off under the principle that they can't be held liable for others' criminal acts.

But the report's definitive statement that no indictments can be made essentially strips them of their "out." In a way, the victims who were protesting the lack of indictments earlier this week may actually benefit from that if it results in speedier settlements. And parishes and schools in the archdiocese of Boston will also be beneficiaries because they won't be expected to bear the brunt of the costs of settlements.