Moral Bankruptcy in Diocese of Rochester

The Roman Catholic diocese of Rochester, NY has filed for bankruptcy to preserve their assets (buildings, stuff, money) in the face of litigation from victims who were raped or abused by priests.

The Chapter 11 filing calls for a reorganization of the Diocese's assets, with the intent of the Diocese surviving and continuing after the bankruptcy is complete. It will provide for a full accounting of the Diocese's assets.

The Church, like the Mafia, operates in a highly compartmentalized structure. The Church claims that all responsibility for whatever happened in Rochester stops at the Diocesan level; the fortunes of the American church, or the global church, or the Vatican are not at risk (the Church says). It's very convenient.

More than anything else, the cynical attempts to limit responsibility to the local corporation, and to limit liability of the local corporation, demonstrate the moral bankruptcy of the Catholic Church to bear the responsibility for the damage and pain they have caused.

To be explicit: they raped children, and now want to protect their buildings, their money, and their stuff from being used to compensate the victims.

As of September 2019, twenty-five Catholic religious organizations have sought bankruptcy protection in chapter 11. Nineteen cases have concluded. Eight cases are pending.