Posted: July 28, 2012 at 8:18 am

MT Catholic Leaders Say Insurance Must Not Cover Birth Control, then Demand It Pay for their Sex Abuse Lawsuit

The Catholic bishops claim that since birth control is against the churches moral tenants, Catholic institutions like hospitals shouldn’t pay for birth control coverage for their employees.

If this is true, what does this story say about the Catholic’s position on child sex abuse? The Helena, Montana Catholic Diocese says an insurance company needs to cough up the cash to pay for a growing number of child sexual abuse lawsuits the diocese is facing.

As the Helena IR reports,  the church wants an insurance company to pay for the multiple lawsuits it is facing after:

individuals alleged both male and female clergy committed abusive acts, including fondling, forced sodomy and an offer of cash for sex in Helena and other locations from the 1940s into the 1970s. The lawsuits allege that the Helena diocese engaged in a pattern of employing, sheltering and protecting clergy who it knew, or should have known, were engaged in sexual abuse.

The insurance company from whom the church as demanded payment has sued the diocese, saying it isn’t paying.

29 comments

  1. Dallas Reese

    Can some hospitals legitimately be called “Catholic” any longer? I recognize that their orginal charters may have been given to the Sisters of Charity or some such group but are they really a “Catholic institution” today?

    Regarding the post, if catholic organizations want to limit birth control to the CATHOLIC members of their staff, then fine. But they should not have that authority over non-catholic employees. Or, if they’re that interested in controlling their workers lives, they should clarify in their job openings that “non-catholics need not apply” and see what kind of employees they get with that effort.

    • Norma Duffy (@Ilikewoods)

      Lets not knock the sisters who have picked up and keep the true faith of their religion. The Padres need to learn something from them.

      they(the sisters) are not the ones in this particular faith shoving right wing ideological BS about Contraception down our throats, they are actually with the president and the people on this.

      I would say, that the true catholic faith still resides with the woman in the organization, the church needs to have woman as ministers not men.

  3. Jen

    So I guess its not about moral values, but what ever the church thinks protects its bottom line.

  5. Dallas Reese

    Like many religions, Catholicism is a patriarchy, as is Mormonism, Muslim, Judism and so on. In those types of religions there seems to be a “the men-folk rule, the women are chattel” mentality. It does seem that some of the Protestant religions are becoming more gender neutral, which is what a religion should be. BTW, I love what those nuns are doing, good for them.

  6. Craig Moore

    Sometimes I wonder if posts like this are just plain dishonest or the parties writing it are just ignorant of the difference between apples and oranges.

    As to the sex abuse matter. First and foremost, look to the policy wording itself for “duty to defend” and “duty to indemnify.” Look to Montana law regarding the application of both duties when criminal acts are involved. Usually it depends on how the facts are alleged in pleading the TORT claim to trigger the criminal act exclusion in most policies, and the public policy against insuring criminal acts.

    Smart plaintiff attys usually plead around such exclusions to ensure a pot of money is available for settlement or trial victory awards.

  7. Norma Duffy (@Ilikewoods)

    Im with George Carlin with this. When I reached the age of reason I gave up the church, not God! Man has a tendency to use his name way to much in vain, for some magical leg up-manship.

    As for the priests that try to imply they have some insider knowledge… well unforgivably they are wrong.

  8. James Conner

    At what point does the Catholic Church’s production and protection of pederasts — the direct result of its goofy dogma of celibacy, and its even goofier policy on birth control — constitute a conspiracy (a felony) to abuse children? The church is beyond redemption, and it appears in most cases, beyond jail. It amazes me that people continue to belong to it when they could belong to other churches. Catholic congregations have become child abuse enablers.

    • Larry Kralj, Environmental Rangers

      Maybe you’ve heard of Revenge of the Nerds? Well now, it’s Revenge of the BISHOPS! No more s-e-x for YOU horny bastards! Yippers! ’bout every Sunday now the flock of flockers are constantly, continuely, incessantly reminded that s-e-x is for procreation only, baby. YIKES! So if you’re boinkin’, you’d BETTER be boinkin’ to make a baby! And nuthin’ else! AND, you sure as HELL better not be ENJOYIN’ it! You boinkin’ for the bishops to create even MORE little mindless flockers to fill them collection plates ever Sunday! And doan you forget it!

      Yes, it’s full on crazy-ass bishopness now! THEY’RE gonna show you just WHO’S in charge! And it ain’t you hornytics! You wanna criticize them for f*ckin’ little kids? Well then, we’ll just SEE what happens when you mess with the sex lives of the pervy padres!

      The church has returned to full frontal fascism, just like in the old days. It’s power has been threatened, so back to sex we go! You do it, and you burn! BURN baby BURN for doin’ what comes naturally!

      It’s really kinda sad to watch, for all the good that church could be doing in social areas is coming on done because of Pope Nazi the First and his little fascist bishops.

      Will the church survive in America? I doubt it. And I say good riddance. The church had a chance to change with the times, but it is incapable of that. Time to move on.

    • Craig Moore

      James, I have never heard anyone claim that celibacy and birth control leads to pedophilia. Proof?

        • Craig Moore

          How does the “dogma of celibacy,” if there is such a dogma, lead to someone becoming a pederast?

          IMHO, pederasts look for the protective environment to shield their predatory behavior.

  11. Publius II

    God Bless the Nuns, the are the true heroes who embrace the essential lessons of Jesus and humanity…Roll on Sisters’, give it to ‘em!

  12. fire Dog

    Faith Chapel, the original Mega Church in Billings is full of ex-Catholics and former priests and nuns.

    The Diocese of Great Falls-Billings has lost thousands of members in the last 30 years.

    I walked when a priest was disgnosed with HIV at the height of the AIDS crisis. He didnt contract HIV from a blood transfusion or sharing needles…