Spokane Judge Lifts Diocese's Bankruptcy Shield

[Eugene]

http://www.latimes.com/features/religion/la-na-spokane27aug27,1,4890191.story?coll=la-news-religion

Spokane Judge Lifts Diocese's Bankruptcy Shield
Churches and other assets may be liquidated to settle abuse claims.
An appeal is expected.

By Sam Verhovek and Jean Guccione, Times Staff Writers

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.

The diocese said it would file an immediate appeal. But if the ruling
is upheld, it could have broad implications for other dioceses
staggering under the weight of sexual-abuse lawsuits, because it
undercuts the Roman Catholic Church's claim, reiterated in a Vatican
finding this month, that most assets in individual dioceses cannot be
put up for sale to settle claims.

The Vatican said investments and real estate such as churches and
schools belonged to individual parishes.

more...

[BayCityProgressive]

1. Good

They need to pay for their crimes just like everyone else.

[saigon68]

2. Finally retribution

For counseling young boys in the Confession Booth.

[fasttense]

3. What was it my Grandmother use to say?

You should have thought of the consequences before you did the deed. Maybe if the priests had thought of the repercussions for their illegal and immoral deeds, than maybe they wouldn't have been so free about molesting children. But they thought there would be no consequences and that the church would protect them. They thought they were above the law like most criminals.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

4. the church DID protect them. It hid documents, transfered priests, and

lied to investigators. It threatened witnesses and coerced families into believing the assaults were imaginatory, or if proven, not their fault, or better, someone else's fault.

The Church even sent priests to different countries with no extradition treaties. This is NOT a US problem; the abuse was long, consistant and world-wide. (Germany, Poland, Croatia, Ireland, All of Africa, most of Asia (China is one exception - they simply threw them in jail there) and South America all suffered from these criminals.

This is more of a criminal gang than a religious institution, at least on this issue.
And who directed these policies for the past decade?
the current Pope Ratzinger.

[krkaufman]

5. I would disagree with this ruling...

... if the abuse had only occurred at the local/parish level; however, diocese-level abuse and *coverup* makes the entire diocese liable, in my opinion.

[Iowa]

6. As a Catholic, I'm glad to see this...

The act of seeking bankruptcy protection in this situation is just another immoral, disgusting, evasion of responsibility. It's part of the same pattern, and it demonstrates to me that they aren't sorry for what they did. Actually, I won't be satisfied until bishops who enabled the abuse are jailed.

[calimary]

7. Me, too. Precious little has been done to punish these deeds.

And if you keep getting off with a slap on the wrist, what's the big deal about committing the crime/sin again? Maybe if they have to face some consequences with teeth in them, fewer innocent children would be preyed upon. And Rome still can't understand why so many of us Catholics have grown disgusted, and have fallen away.