Fortune 500 CEO lambastes Vatican

There was an extraordinary editorial yesterday in the Boston Globe by the ex-CEO of John Hancock Financial Services, David D'Alessandro.  http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/07/09/sell_art_and_keep_parish es_open/  The editorial takes dead aim at the Vatican for its moral failures in relation to the epidemic of child rape among Catholic priests in the U.S.  D'Alessandro was Hancock's CEO at the time of its acquisition last year by Manulife.  At the time, John Hancock was probably earning around $1bn per year, making it one of the largest 500 companies in the world.  I am dwelling on D'Alessandro's background because the words he penned are not at all what one would expect from a recent corporate chieftan.

On Bernard Law:  "Despite great criticism for allowing children to be abused, the arrogant, clueless, CEO Cardinal Bernard Law doesn't go to jail -- he presides over the magnificent Santa Maria Maggiore basilica here in return for toeing the party line."

On the Vatican, "Rome creates the rules, but is not willing to accept responsibility for the actions of its employees -- criminal priests and their protectors."  And, "Why make the victims and the faithful pay the price when you have the means to do it yourself?  What message does that send? We fail. You pay. And the church expects loyalty and trust in return?"

D'Alessandro argues that instead of closing parishes, in order to be able to sell real estate, as is happening in Boston right now, the Vatican should step to the plate and dip into its vast collection of priceless art ... as he puts it, there's "enough forgotten art in Law's basilica to keep all of our parishes and schools open and create a long-standing recruitment campaign for new priests."

As Hancock CEO, D'Alessandro struck me as a bit of an egotist.  But, since that time, I've been incredibly impressed.  He wrote a great editorial in the Globe regarding the realities of the glass ceiling ... an antidote to Larry Summers if you will (sorry, this was some time ago ... no link).  He seems to be playing a critical role as a Trustee in rescuing Boston University from the fallout of John Silber's autocratic reign.  And, then this.  God, I hope he runs for governor in '06 or '10.

•  What's he doing at BU?

  It is great to see someone powerful criticize the Catholic Church for the child rape scandal. Well deserved criticism.

  What is D'Alessandro doing at BU to rescue it from Silber? That's of great interest to me.

  by DrReason on Sun Jul 10, 2005 at 02:34:35 PM PDT

  •  D'Alessandro/BU

    He was the chairman of the search committee that selected the new President, Robert Brown.  Brown appears to be the antithesis of Silber ... a real consensus builder.

    Prior to Brown's selection, BU had selected someone else.  The process was badly bungled and the designated successor was fired before his first day on the job.  As I recall (I could be wrong on this part), D'Alessandro was involved in the prior search, but in the minority when it came time to make the selection.  After the fiasco, he was made chairman of the new search committee.  I also believe that he was the leader or one of the leaders of a purge of Silber cronies from the board (again, following the bungled selection).

     

    by jay l on Sun Jul 10, 2005 at 04:05:57 PM PDT

    •  Thanks

      The fiasco was re: Daniel Goldin, formerly of NASA (head?). I remember an interview with him just before he was to take the job. It stood in stark contrast to an interview in the NYT with Larry Summers. Although he rubs people the wrong way, Summers is sharp and thinks deeply about many subjects. Goldin's interview talked about how he loved the stars when he was a kid. I never heard anything about what would qualify him to be president of a university. After that, I was disappointed because it seemed that the Silber contingent on the board was staying. Oh, the rift with Goldin came about because he wanted to verify that he would be in charge, and he was concerned about Silber's omnipresence.

      I just checked out Brown's profile. Wow, National Academy of Sciences? That alone attests to the wisdom of the search committee. You know what Silber said when he appointed Westling and it was noted that he didn't have a PhD? PhD's are a dime a dozen. I admire Westling personally, though: he took care of his ill wife for many years.

      It's good to see Silber's presence ebbing, because it has corrupted BU. They need to slash tuition.

      by DrReason on Sun Jul 10, 2005 at 05:28:55 PM PDT

•  Maybe he feels freed to say

  what he really feels.

  As an aside, I have heard that BU is trying to improve its academic reputation.

  by lecsmith on Sun Jul 10, 2005 at 02:46:34 PM PDT

  •  About time! n/t

    by DrReason on Sun Jul 10, 2005 at 05:29:39 PM PDT

•  Any relation?

  Any relation to Tommy D'Alessandro, Jr., former Baltimore mayor and father of Nancy Pelosi?

  by Lavoisier1794 on Sun Jul 10, 2005 at 04:50:19 PM PDT

  •  Don't know, but ...

    ironically, the CEO of, Manulife, the company that acquired John Hancock, was also D'Alessandro.  No relation according to press reports at the time.  But, I have no idea about Tommy.

    by jay l on Sun Jul 10, 2005 at 05:01:26 PM PDT