Ruling makes all diocesan assets vulnerable in clergy abuse claims
Spokane bishop, William S. Skylstad, who is also president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, announced that he will appeal the ruling.SEATTLE — Handing a major legal victory to victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests, a Federal bankruptcy judge said Friday that churches, parochial schools and other assets belonged to a diocese — not individual parishes or trusts — and thus could be liquidated if necessary to pay victims.
The ruling applied specifically to the bankrupt Diocese of Spokane, Wash., which is facing settlement of lawsuits brought by 58 people who said they were sexually abused by priests ...
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According to the LOS ANGELES TIMES report, the attorney for the Cardinal Roger Mahony said that the Los Angeles Archdiocese would not file bankruptcy. He was also confident that the ruling would be overturned on appeal.
We shall see.
1 Comments:
My problem with all these sexual abuse cases is the seeming lack of evidence other than the victims' testimony. I am not defending wicked behavior! But the Inquisition required lots more evidence for heresy convictions than American courts seem to require for conviction of child molesters. One priest in Boston was convicted because of one man's "retrieved" memories. Where's the objectivity?
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