New Leader Takes Helm of Bankrupt Twin Cities Archdiocese

By Tom Corrigan
Wall Street Journal
May 13, 2016

http://www.wsj.com/articles/new-leader-takes-helm-of-bankrupt-twin-cities-archdiocese-1463179843

The Rev. Bernard Hebda, a lawyer who once worked at a big corporate law firm, on Friday took over as the leader of the troubled Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Pope Francis in March appointed Archbishop Hebda to head the Twin Cities archdiocese, which is facing legal headwinds in both bankruptcy and criminal courts. He was formally installed Friday during a ceremonial mass at the Cathedral of St. Paul that drew other Catholic leaders.

The new archbishop is taking over at a critical time for the archdiocese and will have to shepherd it through a tangle of litigation tied to its alleged failure to protect children from abusive priests.

The archdiocese, home to more than 180 parishes and 825,000 parishioners, filed for chapter 11 protection last year to halt several abuse-related lawsuits from going to trial.