Catholic Church Files Bankruptcy After Guilty Verdict On 400 Child Abuse Cases

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Catholic church files for bankruptcy after being found guilty of 72 counts of child rape

A Roman Catholic diocese in Montana has filed for bankruptcy following a ruling that found that church was responsible for over 400 incidents of child abuse.

According to church officials, the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings is filing for bankruptcy in order to deal with the large settlements owed to at least 73 child sex abuse victims.

Flatheadbeacon.com reports:

“On behalf of the entire Diocese of Great Falls-Billings, I express my profound sorrow and sincere apologies to anyone who was abused by a priest, a sister or a lay church worker,” Bishop Michael Warfel said in a statement. “No child should experience harm from anyone who serves the church.”

None of those who have been credibly accused are active in parish ministry and nearly all are deceased, Warfel said.

Attorney Timothy Kosnoff, who represents some of the plaintiffs, said it marked the 15th diocesan bankruptcy in the U.S. involving sex abuse claims.

“Bankruptcy represents the only realistic mechanism for working through the myriad of issues involved in case of this nature,” he said. “Despite this sensible step forward, speedy resolution is unlikely and the future of the diocese remains clouded.”

The Diocese of Helena filed for bankruptcy in early 2014 to settle about 360 claims of abuse and sexual abuse by priests, nuns and lay workers who served in the diocese.

That settlement, also negotiated before the bankruptcy filing, created a $21 million fund for victims named in the lawsuit and any others that might come forward

Two sexual abuse lawsuits were filed against the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings — one in February 2012 and another the following June.

One lawsuit was initiated by a woman in her 60s who said she was molested and raped by the Rev. Emmett Hoffman while she was a student at the St. Labre Parish and School between 1955 and 1962.

Hoffman died in 2013.

The diocese has had abuse prevention programs in place for more than two decades, church officials said. The programs include screening and training for employees, volunteers, priests and seminarians and an independent board to review claims.

12 Comments

  1. I have alway wondered why parents who are supposed to protect their young, turn them over to a priesthood which has a 1700 year history of pedophile priest?

  2. I grew up in a religious family. Not Catholic. But the act of forcing your children to go to church every Sunday and feeding them lies is clearly child abuse.

  3. Sell some of the gold in the Vatican you child molestors… bankruptcy bullshit.. pay up you lowlife satan lovers… start burning catholic churches that will smarten them up…

    • How so? The Catholic Church is one of the oldest, if not *the* oldest, Christian churches in the world.

  4. Revoke the tax-exempt status of Church property in the U.S. and confiscate the assets to satisfy the bankruptcy liquidation process without any further delays and Castrate every living perpetrator Priest who has committed this heinous crime.

  5. The Catholic church needs to be demolished. They are evil scum. They perpetuate this behavior. They tell men who they are trying to recruit into the priesthood “we have ways around the celibate thing” Who else would join but massive amount of pedophiles? They have a roof, food and access to children especially alter boys. Pedophiles protects pedophiles so any priest or bishop that covered up is also guilty. It’s time America closes them down.

  6. It is wrong to allow one branch of an organization to file for bankruptcy when the parent is financially alive and kicking

  7. Bankruptcy? That’s rubbish. Then the Vatican should be responsible for the full payment the courts ordered. Remember, the Vatican was complicit in the global cover up of this massive abuse scandal.

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