General Discussion

Just some of his offenses:

-As Archbishop of Milwaukee, Dolan authorized a settlement in which the archdiocese offered priests who had abused children up to $20,000 to leave the priesthood, along with continued healthcare coverage. This payout was criticized by victims' advocates as a "bonus" to pedophiles that allowed them to leave quietly.

-In 2007, Dolan requested and received permission from the Vatican to move $57 million into a cemetery trust fund, which legal experts interpreted as an attempt to shield assets from sexual abuse lawsuits. Dolan denied this claim, calling it "malarkey," but his letter to the Vatican noted that the move would provide "an improved protection of these funds from any legal claim and liability".

-In 2019, Dolan was accused of providing "safe harbor" to Monsignor John Paddack, a New York priest with multiple child sexual abuse allegations against him. Despite repeated allegations from survivors and a public campaign by lawyers, Paddack was not included on the public list of "credibly accused" clergy that Dolan released that year. Dolan eventually removed Paddack from active ministry under increasing pressure but is alleged to have kept him in his rectory.

- A survivor, Chris O'Leary, has alleged that Dolan knew of and ignored abuse perpetrated by priest LeRoy Valentine in the late 1970s, when they both served at a church in St. Louis. O'Leary also claims that in 2002, Dolan lied to him and gaslit him to protect the church.

-Dolan resisted releasing a comprehensive list of accused priests for many years, arguing that the names were already "out there". He ultimately released a list of 120 names in 2019, but most of those named were deceased.

-As Archbishop of New York, Dolan has initiated a lawsuit against Chubb, an insurance company, accusing them of refusing to cover sex abuse claims. The archdiocese claimed this was a fraudulent business practice aimed at protecting the insurer's bottom line and delaying payments to victims. Critics, however, have dismissed the legal action as another financial tactic to avoid accountability.

-Leaked 2017 audio obtained by ABC News in 2021 revealed that a lawyer hired by Dolan discussed with other bishops how the church's independent compensation program could be used to persuade legislators not to pass the Child Victims Act, which would suspend the statute of limitations for old abuse cases.

-In 2020, the Vatican ordered Dolan to investigate sexual abuse allegations against Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio. Dolan eventually announced that the Vatican had exonerated DiMarzio, a result that victims' advocates heavily criticized due to the church's self-investigatory process.