Jul 15, 2004 / 22:00 pm
The Archdiocese of Portland has asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for permission to pay its 112 employees, reported The Oregonian.
The archdiocese filed for bankruptcy protection July 6 in the face of numerous sexual abuse cases. Decisions in these court cases could require the archdiocese to pay millions of dollars in compensation, which it just does not have.
The Archdiocese of Portland is only one of several dioceses which have considered filing for bankruptcy as a means to protect their pastoral works and ministry from the courts.
Though the Archdiocese of Portland’s revenues are up to about $15.7 million this year, compared with $9.9 million last year, the archdiocese, having filed for Chapter 11 protection, cannot distribute these funds as usual.