Comedians who tell jokes about tragedies that are still fresh in the public’s mind often resort to a face-saving question at the end—to deflect accusations of heartlessness and lack of taste—when they ask: “Too soon?”

The rhetorical question seems to imply the opposite; that it is never too soon to be audacious.

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times wrote that the Los Angeles Catholic Archdiocese was considering launching a campaign to raise $200 million for its coffers, depleted by a $660 million settlement in 2007 with hundreds of alleged priest abuse victims, and legal costs for its ongoing priest abuse scandal.

Thousands of church documents were released just two weeks ago that revealed, for the first time, the names of priests and high-ranking officials implicated in hundreds of molestations. The papers document years of cover-ups by major figures in the church, including then-Archbishop Roger Mahony and his right-hand man, Bishop Thomas Curry.

A recent financial report indicates that the archdiocese has about $551 million in liabilities and, after subtracting its assets, carries about $80 million in debt. An estimated half of its legal obligations from settlements have been picked up by insurance companies.

The Times reported that the archdiocese had retained Guidance in Giving Inc. to explore the feasibility of a fund-raising campaign, but the company refused to confirm that such a campaign was in the works. Archbishop Jose Gomez, who replaced Mahony in 2010, has a bachelor’s degree in accounting.

Mahony is said to have noted early that Gomez’ background could come in handy managing the archdiocese. Presumably, Gomez will be able to make better use of his degree than Mahony did with his master’s degree in social work, which he said gave him no understanding of child molestation.

–Ken Broder  

To Learn More:

L.A. Archdiocese Considers $200-Million Fund Drive Amid Scandal (by Harriet Ryan, Ashley Powers and Victoria Kim, Los Angeles Times)

LA Archdiocese Looks at $200 Million Fundraising Campaign while Dealing with Priest Abuse Scandal (by Mike Roe, KPCC)

LAPD Reviewing LA Catholic Church Sex Abuse Files for Evidence of Criminal Activity (by Tami Abdollah and Gillian Flaccus, Associated Press)

Cardinal Who Shielded Pedophile Priests Is Sorry He Didn’t Know Kids Really Hate to be Molested (by Ken Broder, AllGov)