Another Diocesan Bankruptcy

• 9 months ago

By BARBARA SIMPSON

  It wasn’t a headline I wanted to see but it was one that I had been afraid I would. It was that another Catholic diocese would be filing for bankruptcy.

In this instance, the latest one and one close to my heart is that the Archdiocese of San Francisco is considered “very likely” to file for bankruptcy.

The archdiocese is dealing with more than 500 child sex abuse lawsuits.

As reported this past week in the San Francisco Examiner, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone said in an open letter that a decision to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy was made to manage and resolve the backlog of cases. He was referring to cases dealing with cases of child abuse in the diocese.

His letter went on to elaborate that the decision will allow the archdiocese to “reorganize its financial affairs to continue its vital ministries.”

The archbishop said that the move would not apply to Church schools, parishes, and other activities — only the “legal entity,” the Roman Catholic Archbishop of San Francisco.

He expressed remorse for the abuse that took place but added that “the vast majority” of the cases occurred in the 1980s and decades before, and in many of those cases, the staff involved are now deceased.

He said, “I am deeply saddened by the sinful acts and the damage caused to the lives of innocent children who put their trust in priests, staff, and volunteers of the Church.”

This is a situation that not only affects San Francisco but is facing dioceses across the state of California as well as across the nation.

Across the bay from San Francisco, the Diocese of Oakland California filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in May of this year. At the time, it said that it “could not shoulder the burden of litigating 330 child sex abuse cases.” At about the same time, to the north, the Diocese of Santa Rosa filed for bankruptcy, citing difficulties dealing with a backlog of similar legal cases.

These are just a few of the many such cases across the country and reflect that the Catholic Church has a problem that is bigger than most parishioners ever thought.

The basic question that has to be dealt with — aside from the legal issues involved in the lawsuits — is WHY? What has gone wrong with our priests and other Church staff that has allowed such situations and activities to take place?

Our children are sacred for families and that Church personnel whom we trusted have deceived us this way is beyond belief. But it is real and something that must be dealt with.

This is more than the financial cost of the cases — it is the deception and how parishioners will deal with it. We have seen that donations to the Church — whether to parishes or Catholic organizations — have decreased. We have seen that attendance at Masses and participation in other religious activities have also decreased.

If these are the result of the publicity given to abuse cases is not known but the implication is there. What the end result will be, is anyone’s guess.

As for me, the result is a terrible black eye to the Church I love and to which I have devoted years of my life. I know that I won’t leave the Catholic Church, but I will not consider her innocent of the accusations. Cut donations? Yes. Possibly reduce participation in Church activities? Yes. Support the bankruptcy declarations? Yes.

The Church and those guilty of those terrible acts against our children must suffer the consequences. If the Church has to pay the price, so be it.