The man who is pegged to soon head the USCCB is coming under increasing fire for his handling of sex abuse cases in Chicago — and a just-published piece of correspondence is adding ammunition:

Cardinal Francis George and one of his top bishops are stirring up controversy because of statements they recently made criticizing lawsuits from victims of priest sexual abuse.

In a letter obtained by the Sun-Times, the cardinal earlier this year wrote to the parents of a victim and apologized “for the terrible abuse suffered by your son at the hands of Ken Ruge and Robert Becker,” two Chicago area priests who are now dead.

The cardinal also wrote that money was the motivation for proposed state legislation that would allow adults who were abused by priests as children to sue their perpetrators in cases where statutes of limitation have expired.

“This is irresponsible, is not about the safety of children as the sponsor claims, and is clearly, to me at least, about money,” he wrote.

The victim, who is 35 but was in grade school when he was molested, called the letter outrageous.

“Victims sue for justice, not for fabulous houses,” said the man, who hasn’t sued the Archdiocese of Chicago but is negotiating a settlement. “Nobody wants to live in a fabulous house that reminds you that you were molested by two priests as a boy.”

Survivors say because of the psychological damage of sex abuse, statutes of limitation often expire before victims can come forward.

They also say lawsuits are often the only means to expose pedophile clergy and hold bishops accountable for failing to protect the public.

Officials from the archdiocese did not comment.

State Sen. Terry Link, a Lake County Democrat who introduced the legislation earlier this year, said Monday that the measure isn’t targeting the Catholic Church, but all victims of sexual abuse.

Link, who described himself as a devout Catholic, has heard similar remarks from the cardinal about money being behind the bill, and told him they were offensive.

George is expected to be elected president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops at a meeting this week in Baltimore. Never has a candidate been as widely protested by clergy victims, who point to his handling of cases.

Clearly, the cardinal has a lot of people out there who are trying to cast a cloud over this week’s events in Baltimore.