Santa Rosa Diocese, Which Includes all of Coastal Northern California, Plans to File Bankruptcy Due to ‘overwhelming number of sexual abuse lawsuits’
[Stock photo of a stained glass window]
After months of careful and prayerful consideration, and after having consulted the priests of the Diocese as well as the Diocesan Finance Council, and professionals retained by the Diocese, it has become clear to me that it is necessary for the Diocese of Santa Rosa to file for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection. This decision was made necessary due to the overwhelming number of sexual abuse lawsuits filed against the Diocese after the statute of limitations was lifted for a three-year ‘window’. We now are facing more than 130 claims dating from 1962 when the Diocese was established to the present. A vast majority of the cases date from the 70’s and 80’s.
Our present plan is for our attorneys to file for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection after December 31 and before March 1, 2023. Our Diocese joins a growing list of Dioceses in the United States to make such a filing.
In many ways, this is not a freely chosen decision. It is the inevitable result of an insurmountable number of claims. I am convinced, however, that choosing this path will allow us to achieve two very important goals. First, it will provide a process to carefully evaluate and compensate, as fairly as possible those who have come forward with allegations of sexual abuse. Chapter 11 is a process designed to bring all parties together in one place to resolve difficult claims fairly and finally, with the supervision of the bankruptcy court. A bankruptcy allows the Diocese to deal with all these issues collectively rather than one at a time. At the same time, the process will provide a way for the Diocese to continue the various charitable ministries in which it is engaged.
It is important to remember that the only entity filing for bankruptcy protection is the corporation sole known legally as the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Santa Rosa. The parishes and Catholic schools within our Diocese are separate civil corporations or separate ecclesial entities and should not be parties to this filing. There are many matters to be discerned by the bankruptcy court and so absolute certainty about the degree of participation by any other entities such as parishes and schools will be determined in the course of the proceedings.
Since we began discussing this possibility more than a year ago, I have been moved by the understanding, patience and support expressed by the clergy and by the various people in the Church with whom I have previously shared this information. I am deeply grateful.
Map of the Catholic diocese of Santa Rosa in California [WikiCommons]
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Well, it’s about time. Any other cult with a similar track record would have been run out of town a long time ago. Maybe forcing celibacy on adherents is a bad idea after all, I don’t know.
Celibacy is not the issue. Continuing to turn a blind eye to pedophilia is…
For them to claim bankruptcy is morally wrong in itself. Fucking hypocrites.
And how many priests were actually punished?
The Catholic Church is estimated to be worth about 30 Billion USD. And that could be a low ball estimate as the church owns property world wide. They are now claiming they are not responsible for what goes on in their churches?
this diocese knew this was coming and could have been financially prepared financially
Check out BishopAccountability.org Days or reading/research awaits you.
It’s not only the Catholic Church. Pedophilia runs deep in our country, and we fund it with our tax dollars through the shadow government and open borders. Big $$$$ in child trafficking!
Been drinking the Q-Aid?
Unfortunately, between the favored status given to powerful religious organizations like the catholic church and their deft use of commercial paper to subdivide and isolate their various appendages, bankruptcy is likely the only way that many victims will hope to receive any compensation at all. Without the process, the coffers of the diocese would likely be exhausted after awards were granted to the first handful of claimants and the other hundred plus who didn’t get their complaint in in time would be left with no recourse.
It would be best if responsibility could be sent up the leadership chain, but unfortunately the Roman catholic church is among the most powerful entities on earth and have generally shown their core power structure to be untouchable by any national power
The blind eye is turned because the biggest and most powerful pedophiles are in Washington DC
Been drinking the Q-Aid?
Not my comment. I am a different Jeffersonian. But I agree the celibacy rule is wrong. And, If you look at sex crime statistics, scout leaders and preachers and school teachers join the list of offenders. The corporate veil of the church should be pierced to enable reaching outside the diocese for liability coverage, but legally I dont know if that’s possible. Look what charles hurwitz got away with with pacific lumber co. by dividing it into separate corporations and bankrupting the pension funds of pl workers, and then getting diane Feinstein to bail him out with the headwaters forest purchase after he raped the county.
I went to Catholic school for 9 years, have been a Catholic my whole life, still am, and NEVER ever was I, or anyone I know, ever been abused, approached, or in any way molested. And, my religeon is not a cult.
Father Don Kimball, Father Michael Kennedy both at Sacred Heart in Eureka. Both were convicted.
You are worse than the church. “It never happened to me” is the worst kind of denial. Go eat the body and drink the blood of your savior whilst mumbling, “I am not in a cult, I am not in a cult”.
You calling me a liar boy? You have none of the experience I or my friends who went to school with me have had. And Catholic schools are far better than the public schools, we would never send a kid to a public school. NO one we know has ever been hurt or abused by the clergy.
So it must not be a thing.
I was an altar boy. Our family was deep in the faith with one of my parent’s cousins being a bishop and priests and nuns coming to our house on occasion. My mother was the accountant at the church and that’s probably why I wasn’t molested. But I remember one of my friends- another altar boy- what he told me with terror in his face. I told my Mom and that was the last mass I was ever an altar boy at! I can still remember that kid’s face. Then there was summer camp at a Catholic camp. Again not me but my best friend got “disciplined” behind closed doors. His father came the next day and pulled us both the hell out of there. Never explained, never discussed afterwards, questions ignored- these were good Catholics. Of course 1968 people didn’t realize it was rampant and that some bishops were protecting these child rapists. Your church was a nightmare breeding ground for child molesters and the higher-ups protected THEM- not the children. Of course there were also many good and kind clergy god bless them. I’m glad you never experienced that very weird creepy life-destroying stuff…[Edit]
Unfortunately, not that you KNOW of. This is an offense that is not spoken about, as shame and fear that people will not believe them (‘…about a priest doing such things??!!!) is very common.
BTW. Very compassionate response, “You calling me a liar Boy?”. Seems the church school worked wonders in those teachings.
Celibacy is a draconian law. Let the priests and nuns live a normal life.
Ugh. Child abusing sex cult. I can’t believe that parents still send their kids to Catholic School knowing the church is filled with child rapists and molesters.
I once suggested to then DA Gallagos that he charge any parent who sent their male child to st. bernards with child endangerment.
I worry about the girls there too. If one of them is raped they will be shamed and forced to have a baby.
It’s not the schools really but the priests who on an hour by hour basis are not the major presence in the schools. Also, given how much public school education has deteriorated in so many locales, parochial schools do provide a somewhat affordable alternative.
That said, as a kid I was warned to watch out for “funny” priests (where talking the ‘50s and 60s here). Nothing ever happened to me, but we weren’t really the most diligent of church goers. I was never an alter boy. It is utterly appalling what the Church has condoned for decades and likely centuries. There aren’t holes deep enough to throw them all in.
It’s built into a belief system that merely asks sinners to confess, say some prayers and be forgiven by clergy guilty of the same thing.
But women and children really haven’t been treated very well by the Church since the beginning, so is it really a surprise? The new witch burnings will start as soon as they can figure out how to get away with it.
They already did when they sunk Roe vs Wade.
Yes, going after doctors trying to save women from pregnancies that have gone horribly wrong and help raped pregnant children.
you mean like Hunter Biden? Now that is a real piece of shit. We cant believe people still join the democrat party. Look at Swallows Well banging that Chinese spy. The Chinese? Now thats a real cult
So glad you learned so well in that Catholic School. Your response is exactly what Jesus would say. I’m sure of it. (Very dark humor).
Guess who owns your hospital?
And that is why you cannot get any reproductive services (other than birthing) there. Good luck getting a vasectomy or a hysterectomy even if medically necessary.
This is why we must support Planned Parenthood.
We is a broad term. Maybe you.
Well… any ‘thinking person’ need to support Planned Parenthood.
If you are a woman they ask if you have had an abortion if you go to the emergency room for a broken arm.
I had a former roommate who told them “yes, I have an abortion every day and twice on Sundays.”
That’s not true
try to stay on task
Here’s the message:
What is the #1 evil organization which enslaves people all over the world?
The Catholic Church.
The central bank 🫣, but I agree they’re all intertwined . The $ is actually the serpent and the staff if you look at it
Our own SCOTUS is stacked with Catholics
And the POTUS is a Catholic
And Pelosi
Pelosi is a priest? Love how this priest pedophile problem got turned into a political issue.
Got any comments about the article itself? And the complicity of the Catholic Church in the problem?
Neither is Amy Barrett a priest.
That doesn’t stop the howling.
Thank Q Anon.
Biden isn’t trying to put the Church back in schools!
Oh please.
The government obviously
Does this mean the CEO of sjh will take a pay cut?
Why doesn’t god just pay the claims and the bishop and all his little boy loving friends can burn in hell for all eternity????
Gross. If an organization is accused of an “overwhelming number of sexual abuse lawsuits”, it (they) shouldn’t be able to dodge financial responsibility through bankruptcy.
Protection?! Like how they protected child rapists? How about protecting the innocent children? They should not be allowed to keep any property. Sell all their fancy churches. Then they can hold their masses in the woods, in community halls during inclement weather, rent a time-space in another church, etc. I think that would actually be closer to Jesus spirit anyway! I’d buy a pew so I could break it up and burn it…let purifying fire release those demons…
Does bankruptcy allow them to retain ownership of church land and buildings?
I don’t know. I hope not. The Catholic church has many real estate interests. Maybe they get to keep the rectory- where the priests live. Regular people are allowed to keep their homes. I must add to my rant- most priests are good people…the bishops failed everybody
yes it does, that is the primary purpose of BK
protect remaining assets and mitigate existing exposure
Pope calls all money to the Vatican bank? https://www.soulask.com/whats-coming-pope-francis-ordered-all-church-money-to-be-transferred-to-the-vatican-bank-by-october-1/
Under bankruptcy procedures the court will examine significant payments or withdrawals made before the filing to see if it thinks it was an effort to protect assets from claimants. If the court makes that determination it can “claw back” or order those monies returned, though in this case that does mean chasing overseas.
Another Guest is a bit wrong. The purpose of bankruptcy can be either to reorganize and entity while getting as much money as possible to the claimants in the order of priority (for businesses shareholders are the last in line), or it can be to provide for as orderly a liquidation as possible, again disposing of assets and paying the claimants based on a priority list.
This is a reorganization proceeding, not a liquidation. Its purpose is to prorata the creditors.
There has been several financial scandals involving branches of the Vatican City’s finances. It seems that the Pope has decided to remove funds from these and put it all with the one branch with the best reputation left. At least that is what this article says- https://www.pillarcatholic.com/why-pope-francis-vatican-bank-order-is-a-big-deal/ – like everything in the Catholic Church hierarchy, it’s Byzantine in its organization thus no explanations are ever simple or straightforward. It doesn’t seem related to bankruptcy.
Maybe this is why the Pope called all Catholic money to the Vatican bank? I read something this year about this.
We need to expose and clean the entire county of pedophiles. This includes Hollywood and the Epstein clients. The children are trafficked through Biden’s open Border.
“The CEO of Balenciaga’s parent company Kering also owns an auction website that sells grotesque art depicting naked children with mutated bodies and sex organs for faces.
Groupe Artémis, the holding company of billionaire Kering CEO François-Henri Pinault – husband of actress Salma Hayek – owns Christie’s auction house.
The Christie’s website features a series of art pieces by brothers Jake and Dinos Chapman, including mannequins of children with erect penises and anuses in place of a nose and mouth.
Their works fetch from hundreds of dollars to more than $500,000.”
https://yournews.com/2022/11/30/2463260/ceo-of-balenciaga-parent-company-owns-auction-site-that-sells/
Absolutely wrong and disgusting !
Newsom will just let them out of jail
Abstinence in the church grows fondlers.
I went to Catholic school at two years old because it was free for poor families and my single teen mom qualified for the program. I managed to get kicked out sometime around 7/8 thank gaia! It was very clear why they offer this service for free for some, just to groom poor kids.
Filing bankruptcy isn’t enough, they don’t even pay taxes and they take advantage of bankruptcy protections for pedophilia? How sick! The whole institution needs to seize, it’s not one bad apple, the entire institution is pedophilic and patriarchal. It’s clear when you put one god on top of a hierarchy it creates this abuse and perversion of power, it’s inherent in the texts and constructs of monotheistic religions.
Am I the only one who has a problem with the Catholic Church getting $3 Billion dollars of PPE loans forgiven?
they are a non profit that does charitable work, barf…..
we literally just gave them $3 billion freaking dollars
In Oregon..the western… the Portland diocese followed the Oregon health authority to the letter….to the point of dismissing their own employees…who claimed religious exemptions. Was that a bow down by the bishop to the govt for the PPE money?
I don’t know. There are some really hard feelings over it all..the mRNA mandate or no job part..within the Catholic Church that went government Communist.
Here is a good clip from The Wind that Shakes the Barley… on point:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwlIk2O1dV0&list=PLYBqiTGUbQfyjSY3PaqRqeBbTKh_W6xYM
I have a problem with unaccompanied children at the border being handed off to Catholic organizations, just to be handed off to….?
handed off to what..who? No place…no organization is safe ground. The new Catholic Church buildings built after the pedo law suits have so many cameras in them… make the CIA blush.
Who foots the bill for the illegal immigration? Tax payers one assumes… well.. the $31 trillion national debt. I’ll hold back from going all libertarian gold backed currency full rant…. your welcome. 🙂
Boy Scouts, all the denominations, the public schools… and of course the alternative sex community…all targeting having sex with children.
PBS Frontline on the Alaska atrocities:
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/the-silence/
The Archdiocese of Portland ORe declared Chapt 11 over law suits for crimes clear back in the 50’s and 60’s. In Catholic accounting…the land, the churches are put in the name of the Bishop. This facilitates transactions, 501 c discipline, etc.
The Catholic Church built the education system..the hospital system… a big share of it… when the USA was developing. During the great depression..the Catholic Worker movement….
On the other side of that… some clergy within the Catholic Church are guilty of the most serious crimes…sex crimes against the innocent. There have been disparities with native Americans, native Canadians… and so on.
Very checkered.
As a note…some of the church holdings in the center of towns…are lusted after..by the government. The State wants the churches things…. to add to the public holdings.
It’s not just “some clergy” being guilty. It’s the Church’s participation in covering it up and allowing it to keep happening. And no, the Catholic Church did not build the education system. It built an education system to compete with the protestant schools as they all funded and provided services to their own communities. The later tuition free non sectarian State sponsored schools made compulsory education available to all.
Yes. Again..the majority of the guilt lands on certain bishops… various archdiocese human resources depts…and the Vatican itself for not doing their job as the “Holy See”. Religious groups are harder to corral… there are like…well used to be like 700 of them. Like little companies not under the big corp of the Vatican. How people can betray trust like that is a sad statement on the human condition.
Make them pay taxes on the church business. Shut down the grooming schools. Get religion out of women’s healthcare.
The hypocrisy is painful to observe.
One thing that was painful to observe was when the liberals changed the name from “pedophile” to “minor attracted person” (MAP). This was the first sign that they wanted to normalize pedophilia.
SPOT ON!
A more truthful term would be “babyraper”
👍
Refuse to use their newspeak. Call them child predators and rapists.
Yes it is. Too bad hypocrisy is not confined to religion. You’d think that a person with no principles at all couldn’t be a hypocrite simply because of that lack. But they certainly manage it anyway.
Sexual crimes against innocent children who are targeted by monsters, male or female, need to be executed. The penalties are not enough to keep this stuff from happening! Most might think twice if it was a guarantee you will be put to death. Don’t reply with some stupid comment about how people deserve a chance to be rehabilitated in some way. One and done!!! Straight up!
The Catholic church has been run by pedophiles including various Pope’s since it’s inception in and around 330 A.D. when Constantine made it the state religion as he ruled Rome. It is not considered a sin and never has been. It is in the church’s own ideology as an “indulgence”. Priests who are guilty of this behavior including murder are hidden in out of the way in designated parishes in New Mexico, Alaska and/or overseas along with Canada and Mexico. That’s right, instead of defrocking these men, hundreds and thousands of crime dodging pedos and murderers are hidden with the bishops and other church associates with knowledge/concent.
The Catholic dioceses world wide [edit] and all these men held accountable. These church’s should not be allowed to reopen. They should not be allowed to regulate morality being despicable at the core. The church has proven it does not believe in it’s own faith, by hiding these criminals who continue to abuse the most innocent amongst us. These bishops are accomplices of very heinous crimes “after the fact”. Pedophiles should be permanently removed from society. Either by life in a prison cell [edit]
I am personally involved in a Class Action lawsuit with an Archdiocese in another state for similar crimes committed by a Monsignor priest at a Catholic school when I was between the age of FIVE and eleven. That state Attorney General has had me case in their file for over 60 years as me birth father filed it and it has been an ongoing legal nightmare ever since. With review as recently as 2022, this past year! As the offending Archdiocese has done every single side step to prevent justice for the survivors of abuse by it’s Catholic priests. In me case for over six decades! The Catholic church is a disgusting, sick enterprise. I think evil is the proper term. The only happy moment I have from 7 years of abuse is when me father beat that Monsignor to the ground with a broken axe handle in front of the rectory doorway. He truly had it coming! I watched me father do so from the front seat of our old Packard car. It was wonderful to see it happen! Certainly one of the happiest moments of me life! Me father and I bonded at that very moment. I am ever so grateful to have seen him defend me from that evil piece of shit of a man.
If you need any to know how much money and evil runs America, take a walk along Central Park… you’ve got trump, epstein and EVERY gd “church” and cult owns some of America’s most expensive properties TAX FREE. The real estate along both sides of the park and the huge cathedrals are all owned by shady mfs who use religion as power grabs , masks for who they really are , to continue whatever shady business has been going on since the inception.
As an emancipated Catholic school victim, I’m thrilled to be part of the world’s largest religious group- former Catholics.
And to those of you who don’t know the proper usage of “groomer”… you’ve been looking away and purposely allowing this bs to continue. Anyone looking for “groomers”? They are right fing here⬆️🔝👆☝️
Karma for pedophile priests…
Don’t feel sorry one bit for those who will cry bankruptcy. The church still has gold they plundered from the Mayans.
Think about those padres the church sent to foreign lands in an effort to shield them from prosecution. No wonder the donation plates are running low.
This is no way surprises me. I’m very interested to understand what falls into the “assets” category of the Diocese if parishes are not going to be impacted by the bankruptcy? What kind of dodgy accounting has gone on leading up to this announcement to protect the Diocese biggest assets – which I understand is usually property – from being garnished to compensate victims of abuse?
I grew up in Sonoma County, went to Catholic churches and schools, and then worked for Catholic Charities in SR for a short time as an adult – needless to say, I am no longer Catholic. I feel like the SR Diocese is full of people doing their best – truly, lots of people who work at CC really give a s**t about other people, same with teachers in schools. BUT ALSO, the Diocese is still full of people who are awful and wildly out of touch with the reality of the 21st century, and who are allowed to keep doing their worst. There is not a lot of vision right now in this Diocese for evolution or self-reflection about how the church itself has and continues to perpetuate repression and violence. Rather, there seems to be an appetite from leadership (i.e., the bishop) to return to the Diocese to the dark ages of pre-Vatican II conservative Catholicism. A real lesson in how to lose parishioners and alienate future generations.
if you have parcel quest you can see that they own a lot of commercial and residential properties. that should also be investigated. how did they get so many? Crescent City has a dozen or so that i have found in the past.
Usually… real estate accumulation for any church is from estates, wills, or given in thanks for some service or in rememberence of a dead person.
Some property is tax exempt be cause it is a charity. Like the Red Cross blood bank. Or the Betty Kwan Chinn Foundation. Only entities that are directly related to religious worship are religious exemptions. But most are exempt as charitable organizations even when they have the name of a religion attached to them. If donations are tax deductible, they have an exemption even if not religious in nature.
I’d add that the conservative Latin folks… are more on the “Catholic Heritage” page, not so much reversing vatican 2 I was on staff over 20 years with the Archdiocese of portland. My wife and I were middle school youth ministers… youth group, that sort of thing. We had a good run. Thousands and thousands of kids. Here it is years later…they have kids…. they thank us for our efforts. Pretty rewarding.
Now they don’t even have youth group… probably too much liability. It’s down to classes for parents to Catechize….. hard to watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5c_ls0wSRng
pa-x-cis
You know your stuff Kath.
Couldn’t put it more aptly or succinctly.
The ranks of the true believers are dwindling dramatically, and his eminence wants the door to hit them on the way out.
It will very soon be a blood from a turnip proposition, as much for the bankruptcy as for the faithful themselves.
The church answers to nobody in the Latin 3rd world. Lots of money/ gold down there that they keep hidden somewhere.
Catholics were also very much against Ben Franklin messing around with the kite and lightning back then. Weed still be in the stone age if they had their way then.
I’m glad that the widespread pedophilia plaguing our communities is finally being exposed.
Please look up the sex offender database to be aware of who is near your home. It’s free and if you have children you should absolutely know that these people are all around us. I have 2 sex offenders living within a 3 block radius of my house and you might too. It is alarming how many sex offenders reside in a small town like Eureka.
The entire list of sex offenders in Eureka were men. I’m guessing the vast majority of these lawsuits against the catholic church were committed by men. I am not sure why men can’t control themselves, but it sure is a common theme.
The depravity is rampant. People who are in positions of power or authority or who have money are more often able to keep their sexual misconduct secret. I’m so proud of all the people coming forward to expose the Catholic Church, it is not easy to reveal that you were sexually abused as a child, and what they are doing now will save a lot of children from a lifetime of pain.
Good time to enforce separation of church and state. If they don’t have to pay taxes, we don’t have to protect their assets.
“The bread that you store up belongs to the hungry; the cloak that lies in your chest belongs to the naked; and the gold that you have hidden belongs to the poor.” – St. Basil
Deciding not to treat religious organizations the similarly as sectarian organizations is not a “separation of church and State.” It’s weaponizing the government against the church. The provision of the Constitution that leads to that handy dandy little phrase is “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. ” Taxes are the second most favored tool of a government to control after military action. So no taxes. And no selective protection either.
Just when it seems there is no deep divide for the American public to get hysterical over people have to reach back to the European middle ages to resuscitate the Protestant/Catholic divide. The comments here are sovdisheartening.
Another thought about some Diocese’ going more traditional…even to some Latin is in reaction/rebellion to the progressive Pope Francis. Many consider Benedict to be the actual pope…there is an entire Catholic sector that doesn’t accept Francis.
501 c: One thing is certain about govt…it is a beast to be fed. John Hussman PHD econ guy… says that post WW2.. western economies can afford about 18% of GDP to govt. We are past 51% of GDP to govt. It may be even worse..depending how you figure on health care expenses.
There will be a budgetary reckoning. Predictably..govt will go after the non profits, IRA’s [a lobster in a trap for congress]…. cash and all that… the digital currency.
I have some really good spiritual friends…and they are from all the denominations… some just lovers of life. Nothing formal about it.
Lots of good people trying to help a little.
While I agree with most of the negative comments let us not single out the Catholic church. The LDS paid a huge portion of the Boy Scouts of America legal problems of sexual Child Abuse as well as most of the other Christian denominations. Being Godly does not change one from being human.
Are Mormons other christians?
How about “if you are a member of a cult your children might be at risk?”
For heaven’s sake, modern Mormons are pretty dang mainstream. I should know. I was raised as a Mormon—Basically good people as a whole that believe that there’s a God who had a son who came to earth and was born to a woman called Mary. Sounds like most other Christian religions. Like every branch of Christianity, it has it’s own beliefs but none that are far outside the mainstream. Mormons work and play among society and most of their neighbors and co-workers don’t know that they are any different than any other Christian religion.
Yes, no different. The Mormons are dealing with their own scandals against women and children too.
They are dealing with scandals–not the least is the horror of their earlier position on gay marriage. But so are almost every other large group including every major religion you want to name.
I’m not a follower so I don’t understand why anyone would go to a church that has child raping monsters for clergy.
Like wow, isn’t that a deal breaker for the tithing membership? Guess not.
I don’t know many large organizations of any kind that don’t have pedophiles as members. Some teachers are pedophiles–should you avoid getting your kid educated then?
I’m not a believer in God. I’m not religious. But blaming groups for the sins of a few members is the beginning of holocausts.
This should have been the headline 25 + years ago.