The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego could be facing bankruptcy in the coming months, according to a letter signed by the Bishop of San Diego, Robert Cardinal McElroy.
Reverend Efrain Bautista told CBS 8 they mailed the letters out to parishioners this weekend to keep them informed on the situation.
However, many parishioners CBS 8 spoke to at mass Sunday said they never received the letter in the mail.
“I did not receive the letter,” said Susan, a parishioner at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Bonita. “I’m sad! I’m so, you know, shocked to hear about this. I never even thought about it.”
The idea of potentially filing for bankruptcy comes after Assembly Bill 218 lifted the statute of limitations.
It opened a three-year “lookback window” that allowed Californians to file a sexual abuse claim against schools, sports groups, and religious institutions or churches regardless of the limitations.
The church is facing 400 sex abuse claims dating back to the 1940s.
“I think the church should talk more about it and make the parishioners more aware of what is going on, said Victoria-Rosa Guiterrez, a parishioner at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Bonita.
The Catholic Diocese of San Diego says they would have to pay $550 million if they settled all 400 claims they’ve received in the last three years.
Kevin Eckery with the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego told CBS 8 they don’t have that type of money.
However, SNAP, the survivor’s network that provides support for victims, said in a statement, “it defies common sense that the San Diego bishop is broke.”
“These people should be prosecuted and pay what they owe. Filing bankruptcy is a criminal act, and it’s like admitting guilt to me,” said parishioner Chris McGowan.
In 2007, the Diocese says it paid out $198 million to settle 144 sex abuse claims, depleting assets….
Full story at CBS channel 8.
The Diocese of San Diego also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2007. At that time, the plaintiffs’ attorneys assumed that parishes were a source of wealth and that their assets should also be considered as part of the lawsuits. In fact, all parishes were separate entities — some with more financial means than others. Each parish was assessed a tax based on their revenue, and that assessment was paid to the Diocese from parish accounts in monthly installments. In other words, in the vast majority of cases, the parishes supported the Diocese of San Diego financially, not the other way around. Parishes could take out loans with the Diocese for building projects, etc., of course, but those loans had to be repaid. One of the reasons for filing bankruptcy is to forestall a trial. This angers the plaintiffs, but there is no other way out for the Diocese. I can also see this being a never-ending issue as more people come out of the woodwork to file suits from historic cases. Sadly, there’s also the spectre of current abuse cases, unforseen now, but looming ahead.
in terms of spiritual leadership
this place is already bankrupt,
and has been, for a long time.
So, the diocese is going bankrupt because of its perverted priests (not most, but obviously many) and the Cardinal’s solution is to say that gay sex can be okay. Makes sense to me. Good call, Cardinal.
I’m sure the sheeple of San Diego will continue to support your efforts financially with the 2023 Annual Catholic Appeal.