US archdiocese loses claims fight

[emad]

Property owned by a US Roman Catholic archdiocese can be used as assets in abuse claim cases, a court has ruled.

Bankruptcy Judge Elizabeth Perris ruled the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, not its parishes owns church assets.

The decision has dealt a major blow to the archdiocese's efforts to protect church property from claims filed by alleged victims of priest sex abuse.

Portland declared itself bankrupt in July 2004, saying it could not meet the cost of abuse claim cases.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4571012.stm

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. You know who suffers because of this

the ordinary parishoner, the one who has supported the church all their life, and has expected the local parish church to always be there for them and their family.

[emad]

2. Ordinary parishoners - yes. But the abuse victims' suffering is

incalculable by comparison.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. Oh, I agree

what I meant was that the real criminals in this case-those who abused and those who covered up the abuse-really don't lose that much at all in regards to property, etc. Yes, some abusers are still alive and go to prison, where they belong, but some abusers are dead. And as I understand it, the higher ups who condoned this behavior (or at least didn't stop it)have not had to spend a day in jail-all they do is give up property that they don't use.

[mom cat]

4. Or they get a cushy assignment in Rome, like Cardinal Law.

Change will only come when parishoners put the money in places the higher-ups can't touch or walk out altogether.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. I think you are right

but I'm not Catholic, and never have been. I could see where changing everything around and having the power be with the parish would be confusing and upsetting to some. But I read here about a renegade parish in St. Louis that refuses to give over its land and buildings to the Bishop, and who had an excommunicated priest say Mass on Christmas, so I guess at least some Catholic parishoners are realizing it is time to change the way the Church operates.

[NashVegas]

6. I Don't Know I Think That's Unfair

The "ordinary" parishoner benefits from the presence of their church and its community & spiritual support.

The abuse victims get to suffer years of hell. These lawsuits are necessary because the Church heirarchy refuses to do a thing to make reparation on their own steam.

I know from personal experience that if you aren't coming up their backside with a lawyer, the church's attitude is, "here's the rug, here's the broom. Just how much of an issue do you want to make this?" And if you do have a lawyer, as we have seen from the papers, they squeal like pigs and try to settle lawsuits with gag orders to go along with whatever cash gets doled out.

Look at how the assets are being transferred from dioceses to individual parishes, in the attempt to protect their cash. The Church preaches honesty in all your dealings with others, and they have been and are engaging in something fundamentally dishonest.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

7. but the $$ earned by most parishes goes to the cabal that controls

and to Rome.
If any parish becomes unprofitable, it is closed. Always. Schools, hospitals, whatever. They never act as charities if the bottom line is at risk. In Chicago, they aways go after the lowest producers, even though those locations could use their

It is not a matter of supporting the poor, aiding the destitute or investing in local areas. Never has been. It is about the accumulation and growth of wealth and power.
It is a business enterprise that has hidden its criminal activities for decades. It is only fair that those assets be available to help those they damaged.

[WhiteTara]

9. it's okay. God doesn't live in buildings

If they truly want to worship, stand in the sunlight, under a tree. Don't hide away behind closed doors.

[MichiganVote]

8. I don't feel sympathy for any of them. Too many of the people who stay

in the church would be only to happy to walk away from the victims and have done so for decades. A parish is not their personal home however much they may feel displaced. At least they can still walk into a church and worship however they please. The victims are all affected to the marrow of their bones, including spiritually. If they care about their precious parish so much why don't the parish people do more than just show up, take a seat, pass an envelope and recieve communion? No sympathy, none whatsoever.