The Catholic diocese in Buffalo has been entangled in bankruptcy proceedings since 2020, and it’s now requesting its member churches to declare bankruptcy to resolve its own case. A university law professor told Straight Arrow the move isn’t likely to close the churches but helps the larger diocese resolve sex abuse claims.
A new bankruptcy filing by all of the Buffalo Diocese’s 163 member parishes could help establish a $325 million victims’ trust fund to be separate from the diocese and its parishes, Pennsylvania State University law professor Marie Reilly told Straight Arrow. The proceeding is a legal maneuver to resolve the hundreds of claims filed against the church for mishandling church sex abuse cases. The payout is expected to benefit around 900 claimants, according to NBC News Buffalo affiliate WGRZ.
“Short answer is a worshiper who attends or is a member of any one of the parishes that will be affected by the bankruptcy, it will be completely invisible,” Reilly said…