More than 40 Roman Catholic dioceses have filed chapter 11 claims, 28 of which had obvious indicators of abuse fallout
The number of Roman Catholic dioceses in the US which have declared federal bankruptcy amid the worldwide church’s clergy abuse scandal has grown after one in central Louisiana recently filed for chapter 11 protection.
The diocese of Alexandria announced in a statement Friday it had joined more than 40 Catholic institutions in the US which have filed for bankruptcy protection. According to Penn State’s law school, 28 of those bankruptcies had concluded in one of the most obvious indicators of the clergy abuse scandal’s fallout.
Alexandria’s bishop, Robert W Marshall, explained in the statement that his diocese filed for financial reorganization because of the number of clergy sexual abuse claims with which it had been faced.
“This action is occurring because some past priest-perpetrators sexually abused minors, actions that are evil, sinful and go against everything the church and the priesthood represent,” said a letter from Marshall, who has led Alexandria’s diocese since August 2020. “As a result, there are financial claims pending against the diocese that exceed our means.
