THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE MIGHT FACE BANKRUPTCY BECAUSE OF THE CLAIMS FOR THE CORRUPTION OF MINORS

The dioceses of the Rockville Center, one of the largest Catholic dioceses in the United States, are in danger of bankruptcy. The reason was 94 lawsuits related to the sexual abuse of children. According to the documents of the court, the diocese’s income was devastated by a pandemic, the epicenter of which is currently the United States.

The diocese has traditionally served around 1.4 million Catholics, living in Suffolk and Nassau. The difficult financial situation, in which the Catholic parish found itself, was associated with restrictions that were imposed for several months to combat the spread of the disease. As a result, mass meetings and church services during which donations were usually collected were canceled, which amounted to almost 40% decrease of the diocese’s total income. Even Holy Week and Easter Sunday (the most significant dates for every good Catholic) brought a small amount of $ 363 thousand to the parish budget. This is 60% less than in previous years.

The expenses that have ravaged the diocese are related to the prosecution of the past cases of sexual abuse of children.

It became possible due to the Child Victims Act, CVA, passed in January 2019 in the State of New York. According to it, people who seek to indict a rapist for a criminal offense are able to do it until the victim is under 28 years old (previously the term was limited to 23 years).  

In civil proceedings, such cases of compensation for damages can be considered until the victims are under the age of 55. What is more, the state legislature created the opportunity, according to which it will be possible to file a civil lawsuit for those victims who could not do it because of the statute of limitations. This procedure became accessible on 14 August, 2019. However, the pandemic made its adjustments by closing many courts for several months.

The diocese of the Rockville Center, currently led by Bishop John Barres, has already paid out $ 3.7 million, protecting itself from the lawsuits.

Previously, Catholic dioceses, located in upstate Rochester and Buffalo, filed for bankruptcy due to the CVA cases.

The Rockville Center attempted to challenge the constitutionality of an act, passed by the state legislators. However, the Judge Stephen Jaeger called the law “a reasonable response for the correction of injustice of child sexual abuse cases, committed in the past.” The diocese is now trying to appeal the court ruling, stating that the legal costs of the appeal might force the diocese to stop funding the program, according to which it has already paid about $ 57 million to 320 victims of violence.

Lawyer Michael Dowd, who is in charge of the alleged victims, called the potential bankruptcy of the diocese “heartless,” believing that the organization thereby wants to avoid responsibility, contrasting the interests of parishioners and those who have been abused in childhood. The diocese itself does not agree with a statement that it is trying to turn away from the victims of violence or protect the rapists from the deserved punishment, calling bankruptcy "the last resort."