Senate OK's rules for church disclosure

Churches and other religious organizations would be required to disclose their finances like other nonprofit groups under a bill overwhelmingly approved by the state Senate yesterday.

Supporters of the bill, which was approved on a 33-4 vote over opposition from the Catholic Church, say there is no reason to exempt religious groups. They say the secrecy helped the church in Massachusetts hide the sex abuse scandal from the public.

One way to prevent a repeat of the scandal is to bring the finances out into the light, said backers of the bill, which now heads to the House.

''We have a law that enables that darkness," said state Senator Marian Walsh, a Boston Democrat and chief sponsor of the bill in the Senate.

''Moral transparency and financial transparency are inextricably linked," she said.

Critics and parishioners have demanded greater transparency since the church began paying out sex abuse settlements.

The sexual abuse crisis that struck the church worldwide started with the release of documents in Boston.

Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley last month pledged ''full disclosure" of the archdiocese's finances, including the sources of all clergy sex abuse payments and the fiscal health of every parish, comparing the self-imposed rules to the disclosures required of public corporations.

Critics applauded the move, but said voluntary disclosures are not good enough.

Under state law, charitable organizations are required to file annual reports to show how the money donated to the groups is being spent.