Duluth Diocese Concludes Bankruptcy

SNAP
October 22, 2019

https://www.snapnetwork.org/duluth_diocese_concludes_bankruptcy

Scores of child sexual abuse victims in the Diocese of Duluth will soon share tens of millions of dollars in compensation, following a federal judge’s final approval Monday of a bankruptcy reorganization plan for the diocese.

The plan provides abuse survivors with about $40 million and access to the records of priests who molested them.

“The diocese (must) turn over to us and eventually make public thousands of pages of documents on the credibly-accused priests within the Diocese of Duluth,” said Mike Finnegan, an attorney representing victims.

He said the church also agreed to implement broad child protection measures to make sure children are better protected in the future.

“This is a day where the survivors stood up, had their voices heard, had their courage acknowledged in court by the judge, by the bishop and by everybody else that was there,” Finnegan added.

Bishop Paul Sirba said his first thoughts are with the inno...