NEW MEXICO
ABQ Journal
By Olivier Uyttebrouck / Journal Staff Writer
The Archdiocese of Santa Fe has incorporated most of its 92 parishes as nonprofits over the past year – a strategy used by some U.S. dioceses seeking legal protection from sexual abuse lawsuits.
The archdiocese’s action follows those of neighboring dioceses that have incorporated parishes in recent years, including the Diocese of Las Cruces, and the Arizona dioceses of Phoenix and Tucson.
Officials with the Archdiocese of Santa Fe have said the incorporations are an attempt to “describe each parish as a unique civil entity,” but have provided little information about the purpose of the action.
James Stang, a Los Angeles attorney who has represented victims of clerical sexual abuse in bankruptcies filed by six U.S. dioceses, said some dioceses have incorporated parishes in an attempt to shield parish assets from claimants in sex abuse lawsuits.
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