The Portland Archdiocese said Tuesday that it would file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, in the face of dozens of pending cases accusing clergy of sexual abuse.
The archdiocese is the first in the country to file for bankruptcy because of lawsuits over priest abuse, according to Tom Stilley, the attorney handling the archdiocese's bankruptcy filing. Stilley said other archdioceses around the country were considering similar steps.
The action, planned for Tuesday afternoon, puts an immediate halt to a priest abuse case scheduled to begin in Portland on Tuesday. It involves the Rev. Maurice Grammond, who was accused of molesting more than 50 boys in the 1980s.
The archdiocese and its insurers already have paid more than $53 million to settle more than 130 claims by people who say they were abused by priests. Dozens of other claims are pending, and at Tuesday's news conference, church officials said they "could not afford what the plaintiffs are asking."
"The pot of gold is pretty much empty right now," Archbishop John Vlazny said.
Matt's Chat
Your Arrogance, John Vlazny; you, sir, are a j@c&@$$. While you're whining about pots of gold, your Church is hurting. It is idiots like you that are causing the pain. If you fools had bought a clue with that pot of gold that your parishoners contributed over the years, you would know that the Church should have done the right thing a LONG time ago. Instead of covering for these criminals, the Church should have exposed them and promoted the prosecution of these deviants so that justice may be served. The Lord is forgiving, I believe, but the sinner must be repentent; I see no indication from the Church that they are seeking penance for this debacle. Rather, I see contemptuousness and high-handed smugness covered in pretentiousness that the Church should be ashamed of, but apparently isn't.
John Kerry Delinda Est!
