“False, Preposterous and Unjust”

That is how Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan responded to questions about whether his diocese provided pedophile priests with $20,000 pay-offs to leave the church. The language of denial is often filled with righteous indignation. The only problem is that the Cardinal was lying. As reported in today’s New York Times,  a spokesman for the archdiocese confirmed  that payments of as much as $20,000 were made to “a handful” of accused priests “as a motivation” not to contest being defrocked.