California Diocese Files For Bankruptcy Due to Sex Abuse Payouts

By Channing Joseph | January 17, 2014

  • January 17, 2014 at 1:35 pm
    paul says:
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    so, what is the diocese doing about the continued abusive behavior? seems nothing. been going on for, did they say 20 years. shame on you.

  • January 17, 2014 at 2:48 pm
    Scott says:
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    Bankruptcy, huh? Must be an act of God……….

    Perhaps the diocese can sell off some of their buildings or land to pay these claims. Filing bankruptcy shouldn’t exclude them from paying what they owe; sounds like an attorney-backed scheme.

  • January 17, 2014 at 4:32 pm
    InsGuy says:
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    So the Vatican does financially back their diocese? yeah, right.

    • January 20, 2014 at 12:15 pm
      ExciteBiker says:
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      This is an interesting question given the Vatican’s status as a sovereign state including the Vatican Bank. What right/ability/control does the Vatican have over an individual diocese? Say the Fictitious State Diocese breaks from official Church doctrine and starts ordaining women as priests. Can the Vatican shut it down and control assets, freeze accounts, hold title to the Church’s real property etc?

  • January 21, 2014 at 1:38 pm
    Charles says:
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    Each diocese operates as a separate entity apart from the Vatican. The Vatican does not “own” the property, control the persons employed, etc. In a legal environment you cannot draw a line to the Vatican. That being said, each bishop, as a successor to the Apostles, professes allegiance in church matters to the Pope, the Successor of St Peter. Each employee signs a statement that they will be faithful to the Magisterium of the Church, that is the Bishops of the Church in conjunction with the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, Sacred Scripture, and Sacred Tradition. If a Bishop were to start ordaining women, he would be summarily removed from his position, and adjutor placed in charge of the diocese until a new Bishop could be placed. That adjutor would have all authority of the Bishop, including hiring/firing, ordination of priests, teaching the lay faithful, etc. The individual dioceses support the Vatican.

    Hope that helps



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