Catholic Donors Don’t Give Blindly

To the Editor:

Peter Frumkin’s commentary on Catholic donors in Boston (“Sex Scandal Puts Onus on Catholic Donors to Demand Change,” April 4) sets up two choices for them — either unchanged giving habits and therefore paying “for the criminal acts of its [the archdiocese’s] workers,” or demanding “meaningful policy changes within the church’s administration.” Mr. Frumkin argues that donors who are willing to bail out the archdiocese need to go beyond charity driven by boundless and unconditional loyalty and should demand change before providing the massive bailout that will be necessary.

This is an oversimplification of matters. It is both wrong and patronizing to suggest that those who are coming to the aid of the church are doing so out of blind loyalty. The expansive array of charitable institutions under Catholic auspices that depend on Catholic donors, including hospitals, social-service institutions, and urban inner-city schools, are not an optional element in Catholic philanthropy. These institutions are seen as central to the work and mission of the church. Catholic donors are not likely to shut their eyes to bad decisions and poor judgments of an archdiocese, but neither do they look upon their ongoing commitments to Catholic institutions as paying “for the criminal acts” of church workers.

Francis J. Butler
President
Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities
Washington, D.C.