SCHENECTADY —Former Bishop Edward Scharfenberger took the stand Tuesday at a trial where a jury has been asked to decide if the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese bears responsibility for the collapse of the pension fund for St. Clare’s Hospital.
Scharfenberger, who retired in October, testified for about an hour Tuesday before the jury was excused for lunch as lawyers for the diocese attempt to convince the jury that the diocese cannot be held responsible for the failures of those who managed a pension plan that was terminated in 2018.
Scharfenberger served on the hospital’s board, which was responsible for the pension fund, but diocese lawyers say he served as an individual, not in his official capacity as the leader of the area’s Roman Catholics. His testimony comes as the civil trial for the lawsuit filed on behalf of 1,100 pensioners who lost their benefits in the fund’s collapse nears its end…