TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Church Evicting Nuns From Convents To Pay Abuse Victims

ADVERTISEMENT

By KARL VICK, The Washington Post

Published: October 6, 2007

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - In Southern California, where the Roman Catholic Church has agreed to pay victims of pedophile priests $660 million, the archdiocese is ordering nuns out of convents so the buildings can be sold to fund the out-of-court settlement.

Here in Santa Barbara, the sins of the fathers are being visited on the Sisters of Bethany. The three nuns living in a modest building on Nopal Street received an eviction notice last month ordering them to be out by Dec. 31. Earlier 'would be acceptable as well,' the letter said.

Among those being forced to move is Sister Angela Escalera, 69, who, diabetic and able to get around only with a walker, had hoped to live out her days in the Santa Barbara convent. 'This is how the archdiocese is going about getting the money to pay off the victims,' said her younger sister, Rosemary Escalera Gutierrez, 64, a former nun in the order.

'She said: 'It's such a heavy price to pay for such an ugly thing,'' said Gutierrez, quoting her sister. ''Children were being victimized.' '

The public storm over the evictions has prolonged an excruciating controversy that the Archdiocese of Los Angeles had hoped to begin putting behind it in July when it agreed to payouts to 508 accusers of 221 priests and other male church employees. Instead, the new flap has raised the question of how much the church has learned about the crucial business of public perception.

Gutierrez quoted her sister because church officials slapped a gag order on the nuns.

'What's interesting is the church has not learned its lesson. The church thinks Catholics will still follow it without question,' said Denise d'Sant Angelo, a member of Save Our Sisters, a local group formed to resist the eviction.

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles did not reply to telephone and e-mail messages for this report. A statement posted on its Web site detailed the effort to inform the nuns of their fate and expressed gratitude to the order for its service.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT