Vatican stops diocese in taking parish assets

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Vatican stops diocese in taking parish assets
Millions at stake as O'Malley must get OK of pastors
By Michael Paulson, Globe Staff | August 11, 2005

The Vatican, in a blow to the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, has concluded that archdiocesan officials erred in claiming the financial assets of closing parishes and must now ask pastors to voluntarily turn over millions of dollars in bank accounts and real estate holdings that the archdiocese had planned to take.

The archdiocese said yesterday that it is working with the Vatican and with local priests and finance council members to limit the repercussions of the development and said the Vatican is otherwise supportive of the process of closings pursued by the archdiocese and of the individual closing decisions made by Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley. But the archdiocese acknowledged that the decision is unwelcome and poses a complication in O'Malley's effort to restore the troubled archdiocese to financial health.

Critics of the parish closing process said the development vindicates their argument, put forward in several lawsuits in civil courts, as well as in appeals to the Vatican, that the archdiocese has mishandled the overall closings process and is violating church and civil law by taking as much as several hundred million dollars in cash donated and real estate funded by faithful Catholics over many generations.

The archdiocese acknowledged the Vatican's decision in response to questions from reporters.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/08/11/vatican_stops_diocese_in_taking_parish_assets/

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1. Isn't this how our revolution started with King George?

Amazing. They're closing parishes, etc., in part because of the sexual abuse settlements. Those took place because of a climate of poor management and denial. Where did that come from?