What is Happening in the Catholic Bankruptcies



I've always been curious to know if there is some kind of general conclusion one can make about the court forced settlements Catholics have made to their victims of sexual abuse. Apparently, there are many variations in the settlements and some take different directions than others. 

In total, about 4.4 billion dollars have been paid out. Of course lawyers have to be paid and they have taken about 16% of this.

Under Chapter 11 bankruptcy law, a business is allowed to remain operating during resolution of payment it must make. In some ways, this makes sense, even to Catholic Dioceses, because income in coming in some of which might go to pay obligations. If the business closed this would not happen.

Thirty-nine dioceses have filed for bankruptcy. Over the past could of decades this has been going on some have negotiated settlement and moved on. About 18 remain in bankruptcy. 

A big issue in all of them is the question what is available to be taken from a diocese. The shifty Bishop of Milwaukee, Timmy Dolan, tried to move cash from his Diocese to a Catholic cemetery group. He claimed it was for an "endowment," even though the cemetery group said it did not need the money. A judge later pulled the rug and Dolan had to pay up. He was rewarded for his dishonesty by being promoted to the New York City Diocese.

In California there are 12 dioceses. Six are in bankruptcy. One, Oakland, said it will run out of cash soon. Its parishes are being asked to sell property and help out. In most dioceses, the parishes who have had no abuse problems want out of the settlement and do not want to pay anything. The Vatican, also, does not want to bail out troubled dioceses.  



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