September 01, 2005

One more consequence of the church abuse litigation and associated diocesan bankruptcies: Prof. Bainbridge is going to be careful about which Catholic institutions he selects as recipients of his Katrina donations, lest the money wind up in hands like those of, say, Larry Drivon (Aug. 31). More on the Canadian situation in this report (via Sullivan):

More than 130 churches and other property belonging to a Roman Catholic diocese in Newfoundland could soon be up for sale after a court approved a financial settlement Tuesday for the victims of abusive priests.

The negotiated settlement between St. George's Diocese and the 40 victims is expected to raise $13 million for compensation. St. George's is believed to be the first Catholic diocese in Canada to seek bankruptcy protection as a result of sexual abuse claims.

The men involved will receive awards of between $75,000 to $1 million once the sale of properties is completed over the next 30 months....

The church won't have to sell items used to perform mass, such as vestments, candelabras or Bibles.

While on the subject of Katrina donations, Glenn Reynolds has an updated listing of charities helping with survivor relief.